


My Hands Are Shaking From Holding Back From You

by siriuslymerlin



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, No vampires, Pack Dynamics, Pre-Canon, Well - Freeform, i hope so, imprinting but in a more okay way, quiluetes, secondary characters getting the spotlight they deserve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 42,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuslymerlin/pseuds/siriuslymerlin
Summary: Kim Conweller hadn't expected much out of high school, past a degree. She's pretty invisible, and that's the way she likes it. Suddenly, she's not so invisible anymore and the person looking at her is the last person she'd expect.
Relationships: Jared Cameron/Kim Connweller, Sam Uley/Emily Young
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Guys! This is up on Fanfiction.net, but I'm cross-posting all my things-well, all the good things I wrote, anyways. Enjoy!

Kim Conweller sits in her car, drumming her fingers on her steering wheel. She's early to school today, only because her mother was actually home this morning, a rare thing for the busy radio host. For once, Kim didn't have to make breakfast in the morning for her and her little brother. So, she left a little early.

No one's here, not this early, so Kim waits, fishing out her calculus notes, going over the notes for the quiz they were sure to have today. Mr. Callum, her calculus teacher, was notorious for pop quizzes.

She loses track of time, but before she knows it, the parking lot is filling up and Laura, her best friend, is knocking on her window. Kim rushes to pack up her things and hop out of the car.

"Hey, sorry, I was studying, and I just lost track of time, I guess," she explains, tucking her hair behind her ears. Laura waves her apology off, smiling and hooking her arm through Kim's.

"Nah, don't worry about it, girl, come on," she says, leading them into the school. People mill around the hallways, talking at their lockers. Kim puts her own things away, glancing briefly down the hall at the locker six away from hers. It belongs to Jared Cameron, her long-time crush. He's nowhere to be seen, of course, he hasn't been for a few weeks.

Kim sighs, unable to help that she misses him. It's dumb, she knows, but she's always had feeling for him, ever since middle school. She remembers the moment vividly. She had been late that day, and stumbled in just after the bell rang. Jared had been the hall monitor that day, and it had been his job to report tardy students. He'd just winked at her and smiled, telling her he could let it slide. She'd been in love with him ever since.

Of course, he got hot when they hit high school and she didn't, so he never spoke to her again. Still, she can't help but carry a torch for him. She drops her gaze, shaking her head. Junior year is halfway over, she needs to get over this before senior year, so she can actually enjoy her life for once.

She heads to her first class, and pulls out her notes for a quick study session before the quiz. Mr. Callum calls for quiet, announcing the quiz. Everyone groans, disappointed. Kim smirks to herself, thank god, she thought ahead.

Just before he could pass them out, the door burst open, and Jared Cameron bursts through, a tardy slip in his hand.

"Sorry, Mr. Callum," he says, handing over his slip. Mr. Callum snorts, but gestures for him to sit down. Kim watches him discretely through a curtain of her hair. He looks… different, somehow. Taller, filled out. The most obvious change is his hair. La Push boys tend to wear their hair long, a tribe thing, but Jared's shorn his hair. His beautiful, luscious hair.

Silently, she mourns for the hair, the beautiful flow. Actually, it looks good like this too. Who is she kidding, Jared would look good even if he was prematurely balding.

Jared plops down in the seat in front of her, and Kim marvels at the way he fills out the space. He wasn't skinny by any means before, more lithely muscular before. Also, she can see all the muscles in the back of his neck, and that isn't helping the situation in any way.

Kim can hardly focus on the quiz in front of her, but she does her best. Jared doesn't have to take the quiz obviously, so Mr. Callum is having him get a head start on all the homework. Jared flips through the packet, clearly bored.

She's quick to finish up, and she feels pretty confident about her answers. As she turns it in, Mr. Callum stops her.

"Hey, Kim, I wanted to ask you something," he says. Kim nods, a little worried. "Listen, you're one of my best students, and Jared's missed a lot of time. I think you should help him catch up."

Kim stares at him, wide eyed with panic. Spending time with Jared is only something she can do in her fantasies. Talking to him in real life is impossible.

"Um, Mr. Callum, I just don't know—"

"Jared, come up here please," Mr. Callum interrupts, with complete disregard for her sanity. Jared nods, sauntering up. Kim drops her eyes, letting her hair fall around her face.

"Kim here is going to help you catch up in calculus, every day after school until you're completely caught up with the material. Kim, for your time, I'm going to be counting this as extra credit."

"Oh, okay, yeah," Jared says, frowning a little. Kim flushes; of course, he doesn't want to spend time with her, she's invisible and he's Mr. Popular. Jared turns to her, but Kim looks firmly at her feet, trying to control her breathing.

"Alright," Mr. Callum says, breaking an uncomfortable pause. "I'll let you two figure out a time."

Kim rushes back to her seat and tries to swallow down the panic. Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god.

"Hey, I'm Jared." There's a hand in front of her. One perfect, tawny, strong hand. Oh god. "And you're Kim?"

"Um yeah." She takes a deep breath and forces herself to look up. Jared's got this expectant expression on his face, and it makes him all the more handsome. His eyes are this deep, rich color, and suddenly Kim's drowning.

Jared finds her eyes, and his mouth slowly goes slack.

"Um, are you okay?" Kim asks, after an entire minute has passed in silence. Jared stares harder, and yeah, Kim is starting to freak out a little. "Jared?"

"Yeah, no, I'm good," he says. His eyes never break contact with her own though.

"Okay. So, I was thinking maybe after school we could just meet on the benches outside? It's nice enough I think."

"Yeah, I, sure that sounds good." The intense eye contact still hasn't stopped.

"Okay, well, I have class now, so I'm just going to… go to that." Still feeling incredibly awkward, Kim gathers her things up, and waves to Jared, who's still staring at her.

Weird.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the many, many weird things about turning into a giant wolf is being trapped in each other's heads. Sam has them going out on patrol every night, just in case. Paul still spends most of his time trying to regain control, so right now, it's just him and Sam, which means he's trapped in Sam's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to me indulging my pack dynamics headcanons and spreading my Sam-Love gospel. Enjoy!

One of the many, _many_ weird things about turning into a giant wolf is being trapped in each other's heads. Sam has them going out on patrol every night, just in case. Paul still spends most of his time trying to regain control, so right now, it's just him and Sam, which means he's trapped in Sam's head.

Mostly, it boils down to worrying about an impending leech problem and worrying about his girl problem. Previously, before this whole wolf conundrum, he'd been engaged to Leah Clearwater, which hadn't been that noteworthy in it of itself—tons of people on the res got married right out of high school—but then he'd phased, met Leah's cousin Emily, and promptly imprinted on her.

Of course, Sam couldn't exactly explain to his long-term girlfriend turned fiancée why he was leaving her, because the tribe forbade giving away the wolf secret to anyone outside of the pack. The whole situation caused him tons of unnecessary drama and heartache in Jared's opinion, but Sam maintained it was worth it, because he got to be with Emily.

Now, Jared understands him _completely._

It was like everything had been muddled and slow before he saw Kim, and now, the world had been thrown into absolute clarity. Everything revolves around her, she's the only thing keeping him attached to the world.

Jared can't help but stare at her, can't help drinking in her every feature. Her face is heart-shaped, cheekbones sharp and prominent. Her eyelashes are long and fluttery, brushing the soft, silky looking skin of her cheek. Her mouth is full, and her lips are luscious.

She's saying something, and immediately Jared is yanked out of his reverie to focus on her words. She stares at him with something like uncertainty on her face, and Jared wants to smooth it away, see her smile.

He responds, and so does she, and suddenly, he's got plans to meet her later. Jared can barely focus the rest of the morning, thinking about Kim, when he was going to see her next, what she was doing, what she was thinking.

At lunch, he scans the cafeteria carefully, keeping his eyes peeled for Kim. He finally spots her, sitting in the corner with a few friends, but before he can go over, some of the boys he used to hang out catch up to him.

There's a chorus of "Jared!" and "Yo, man what's happening?" and Jared finds himself at his old table, center stage in the middle of the cafeteria. The boys are the same as when he left them, but somehow, he doesn't find anything they say funny anymore. He's distracted and bored with them. There's a little voice in the back of his head telling him it's Sam's fault, that he's too different now that he can explode into a wolf.

In the hubbub, he loses sight of Kim, and grits his teeth to calm down. He's still stupidly temperamental, and the slightest thing could set him off.

The bell rings, and with that he's off to class, eyes peeled for any sign of her. Kim. If only he knew what her last name was.

Finally, the last bell sounds, and Jared is home free. He rushes over the benches outside the front door and snags one, forcing himself to look natural while he waits for Kim.

Maybe it's the enhanced speed and strength, but apparently, he's early. Several minutes pass before he catches sight of Kim, headed his way. Time seems to stop, and all Jared sees is her. She seems to be floating towards him, arms pulled tight around herself and head tilted down.

"Hey," Jared greets her, voice a little shaky. She blinks rapidly, surprised.

"Am I late? Were you waiting long?" Worry and embarrassment creep into her voice and Jared bites down a smile. Adorable.

"Nah, you're fine. Right on time." He puts on his most charming smile, praying it doesn't turn out creepy. Of course, it might, considering the half grimace Kim's sporting.

"Okay. Do you want to start with chapter three? It's just basic derivatives, which is pretty easy," Kim offers. Jared blinks, confused, before remembering the only reason they were there was because of calculus.

"Oh, yeah, explain away." Jared tries not to cringe at the lame words. For the next hour, Kim talks him through the finer points of derivatives, and Jared just falls deeper. She's wonderfully sweet, and talks to him in a way that make him feel smarter. She's perceptive too, anticipating where Jared will have trouble before he himself does.

"Okay, well, I think that covers it," Kim says finally, packing her notebooks away. "Um, if you have any questions on the homework, you can catch me before class maybe?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for this, Kim, you're a life saver," he says, grinning goofily at her. Kim gives a little half smile and dips her head. "Wait, do you have a ride home? I could drive you if you want." Her head jerks up, eyes flashing panic. Jared's smile melts off his face. "Or not."

"Oh, no it's okay, really, I have a ride, I'm good." Her heart beats wild and irregular, a telltale sign of a lie. Jared doesn't call her out on it, staying silent.

"Um, I will… see you around, I guess," she says. Her voice peters out to a barely-there whisper, and color floods her silky cheeks. With that, she gets up, brushing her hair out of her face. Jared take a second to take in her frame, admire her build. She's thin and small, the word petite coming to mind. Her hands are tiny, and Jared can't help but think about how they might feel in his, how they'd fit perfectly.

"Yeah, see you," he says finally, waving goodbye. She walks away, glance back once to peek at him. Her posture is stiff, and her arms are tight around herself. Jared closes his eyes, heaves out a sigh.

The most beautiful girl in the world, a goddess, an enchantress, his imprint, is scared of him. Just perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought, comments and critiques!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spending time with Jared had been…different. Kim hadn't expected this meeting to go very well; she was sure he had plans for after school already, being the popular jock was. Still, she got the weirdest sense that they were having a good time, learning about calculus of all things. Kim sighs, shaking her head. That would be the rose-tinted Jared goggles talking, convincing her that Jared actually liked her, when, in reality, he probably felt indifferent towards her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I wanted to introduce Kim's family in this. I know most people usually give Kim a younger sister, but I feel having a younger brother might give her a different edge. Enjoy the chapter!

Spending time with Jared had been…different. Kim hadn't expected this meeting to go very well; she was sure he had plans for after school already, being the popular jock was. Still, she got the weirdest sense that they were having a good time, learning about calculus of all things. Kim sighs, shaking her head. That would be the rose-tinted Jared goggles talking, convincing her that Jared actually liked her, when, in reality, he probably felt indifferent towards her.

Sometimes, being invisible really sucked.

When she gets home, she finds her younger brother Eric relaxing in the living room, watching TV. From her position in the doorway, she can see the TV, but he can't see her, so she takes a minute spy on him.

Sure enough, he's sitting there, enraptured by an episode of The O.C. Kim laughs quietly to herself. Eric will lose his mind if any of his friends find out he watches girly drama shows. Middle schoolers can be so cruel.

"Whatcha watching?" she asks, vaulting over the back of couch to sit next to him. Predictably, Eric shrieks, fumbling around for the remote. Kim bursts our laughing and doesn't stop until the TV has been successfully turned off and Eric is glaring daggers at her.

"Nothing," he grumbles darkly. "What are you doing home so late anyways?"

"Oh, I had a tutoring gig," she explains, pulling her knees up to her chest. Eric scoffs.

"Please, like you could get through an entire hour of talking to a stranger. As if," he taunts her, smirking when she scowls.

"Yeah? Well, I got through it just fine! And Jared actually might've learned something." Immediately, she regrets her words. Eric knows all about her embarrassing crush on Jared, considering he takes every opportunity he can get to snoop around in her room and read her diary.

"Ooohh, Jared," he teases, half-singing the words. "You're tutoring your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Kim grabs a pillow and smacks her laughing brother as hard as she can with it, grinning triumphantly when it hits its mark.

"Yeah, no shit, he doesn't even know you're alive," Eric counters, arms held aloft to defend anymore pillow attacks. Kim flushes. Her dumbass brother has a point. "Although, now he might."

"Don't curse," she mumbles, giving him a half-hearted shrug. Eric softens, though there's still a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Aw come on, sis, I bet you rocked his world so hard he's totally in love with you now. I bet he wants to marry you. I bet he wants you to have his babies—ackk!" Kim launches herself at her brother, effectively tackling him to the ground. He groans, shoving her off, but Kim doesn't budge, instead maneuvering so she's sitting on his stomach. Eric wheezes.

Just then, their mom comes home, and upon seeing her children wrestling on the living room floor, heaves a huge sigh.

"Kimberly, get off your brother please." Grumbling, she lets Eric up, running a hand through her hair to fix it. "And Eric, you be nicer to you sister." Now, it's Eric's turn to grumble.

Kim wanders into the kitchen, where her mother's pouring a glass of wine. Kim smiles sympathetically.

"Rough day?" she asks, already gathering the ingredients for dinner. She has homework she needs to get to, things she's already behind on because of Jared, but it can wait she thinks, her mom should come first.

"Oh, Kim, you have no idea, sweetie. We had all of our interns come in today. The colleges started a new semester last week, so they're all here, ready to start." Donna, Kim and Eric's mother, works at the local radio station, playing rock and hits from the 80's and 90's, with the occasional top forty chart topper. It's one of Forks' favorite radio station, not to mention La Push.

"Thanks for cooking tonight, baby. I knew I could count on you," she says, pressing a kiss to Kim's forehead. With that, she settles on couch sipping her wine while Eric pretends to do homework.

While cooking isn't her favorite thing, Kim doesn't mind, especially if it helps out. She knows how hard her mom works to support all of them, and if this is how she can help, so be it.

An hour later, Kim's doling out spaghetti and meatballs, and yelling for Eric to come and set the table. He comes, because he's not a total asshole, but he grumbles about it because he's a little shit.

Once everyone sits, Donna surveys her children, smiling softly at them. Kim raises her eyebrows.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" she asks. Truthfully, she loves seeing her mom in a good mood, but the way she's smiling is a little odd.

"I'm just glad I have you two," she says cryptically. "Anyways, tell me about your days."

"Kim got to hook up with her boyfriend," Eric blurts. Donna sputters, choking on her pasta.

"What? What new boyfriend? Hooking up?" She looks wildly from Kim to Eric, and Kim can already feel the intense blush she's sporting.

"No hooking up, and no boyfriend either. Eric's just being an ass."

"Kimberly, don't call your brother an ass. Eric, don't be an ass." Kim laughs, hoping that means the topic's dropped.

"So, if I don't have to worry about my daughter hooking up with strange boys, then what do I have to worry about?"

"Nothing, mom! It's just… I'm tutoring this guy in calculus, that's all." Kim sort of hates the way her mom lights up at that, like it would be so impossible to Kim to talk to someone, let alone tutor them.

"Oh, honey, that's great! What guy?" she asks, taking a sip of her water. Before Kim can answer, Eric butts in.

"Jared Cameron, the guy she's been in love with forever!" he crows, neatly dodging Kim's attempted slap.

"Oh! Shelley's son? You like Shelley Cameron's son?" Donna asks, surprise coloring her tone.

"No! I just think he's cool, that's all." Kim tries to defend herself. Eric snorts.

"Yeah, right. You want to get married and have a million babies and—hey!" Kim really does land a slap this time, face burning. Donna's eyes soften.

"Your first crush! Oh, honey tell me all about him!" Suddenly, Kim can't stand everyone's eyes on her, Eric's teasing and Donna's excited. She gets up abruptly, pushing her plate away.

"I'm full," she announces. "I've got homework to do." Without waiting for a reply, Kim flees upstairs to her room, away from prying eyes.

Upstairs, she's guilty enough that she actually does do homework, but she's barely paying attention. Several minutes later, there's a soft knock on the door.

"Hey, Kimmy," her mom says, voice soft like Kim is some sort of child.

"Yeah?" Donna steps into the room, holding out a plate with some pasta on it. Kim feels her anger melt.

"Just thought you might still be hungry, and that maybe you might want to talk," Donna explains. Kim shrugs, words failing her as usual.

"So, tell me about Jared." Kim laughs softly, letting her hair fall around her shoulders.

"He's… way out of my league. He's cool and popular and athletic, and I'm just me."

"Kimmy, there's nothing wrong with who you are. So, what if you're not a chatty Cathy, that just makes what you have to say that much more important. And if that Jared can't see how special you are, I just don't think he's worth your time!" Donna declares, pulling her daughter into a hug. "You can always talk to me, okay. Anytime."

"Yeah, mom. Thanks." With another quick hug, Donna leaves her be, and Kim dwells on her mother's words. Of course, she'd say that, she has to as her mom. In the real world, boys like Jared didn't fall for girls like Kim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought! Comments, critiques, or even just drop an extra Kudos in the comments!


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared walks back to Sam's place in a daze. His head is spinning a little, and there's this weird tug at his naval pulling him in the opposite direction.
> 
> Still, when he makes it, Sam's not even there, but Emily is. She's just pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven when he walks in, throwing himself dramatically into a kitchen chair. She presses her lips together to try and hide her smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue more pack family feels

Jared walks back to Sam's place in a daze. His head is spinning a little, and there's this weird tug at his naval pulling him in the opposite direction.

Still, when he makes it, Sam's not even there, but Emily is. She's just pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven when he walks in, throwing himself dramatically into a kitchen chair. She presses her lips together to try and hide her smile.

"Rough day?" she asks, setting the pan onto a cooling rack. Jared didn't even know Sam had one of those, but then again, he doubted Same did either.

"No, I just, I just need to talk to Sam, I guess." Emily's eyes soften at that, and she comes to sit next to him, one of her dainty hands coming to rest on his huge one.

"You can try me. I don't know as much about the wolf stuff as Sam does, but he tells me about it," she offers. Jared contemplates this; it would be good to have an imprint's opinion.

"I think I imprinted," he says after a beat. Emily lights up, squeezing his hand.

"Hey, Jared that's awesome! What's she like? What's her name? Tell me all about her!" Jared grins at her enthusiasm. It must get sort of lonely, being the only imprint.

"Her name's Kim. She's helping me out in calculus," he explains. Emily smirks at him, ruffling his hair.

"Hot for teacher, huh?" Jared bursts out laughing, dropping his head into his arms. For all her sweetness, it can be easy to forget she has a wicked sense of humor.

"What's everyone laughing at?" Sam walks into the kitchen with a human Paul, a rare sight nowadays.

"Jared imprinted on his calculus tutor, Kim," Emily explains. Paul flops down into a chair too, stuffing a handful of cookies into his mouth.

"Wait, Kim Conweller?" he asks, spraying crumbs all over the table. Sam cuffs the back of his head, but Paul's hardly paying attention. Jared's eyes go wide.

"Wait you know her? She's like tiny, long black hair, mind blowing good looks?" Jared demands. The excitement wakes his wolf, and Jared can feel it begin to inch up his spine.

"Uh, yeah. Kim. She's in my English class. We did a book report together last year," Paul swallows finally, and goes for more cookies.

"Do you have her number?" Jared demands, already pulling out his phone, fingers poised over the key pad. Paul gives him a weird look.

"I don't have it memorized. Besides, I don't think she has a cell. I think I just have her landline," Paul retorts.

"Cut him some slack, Paul. And stop stuffing yourself," Sam instructs. He's got on a rare approving smile on, one that makes him look years older. He and Jared used to be friends back in the day, and Jared misses the fun loving, carefree Sam he grew up with. "Congrats Jared. This is a really special thing. You should invite her over, we want to meet her."

"I would, but she's like, terrified of me or something. I guess I came across too strong the first time I talked to her." Sam snorts, looking at Emily.

"I'm sure you didn't do any worse than me." Jared smiles a little uncertainly. Sam and Emily met when Leah was taking him around to meet all her family, after they'd gotten engaged. It had been pretty ugly, from what Jared had seen in Sam's head.

"I just don't know what to do," he admits, slumping down into his seat. Sam frowns pensively.

"I guess," he starts slowly. "Just get to know her. Your job is to be whatever she needs, so maybe, right now, you could with friends? Build your way up?" Jared considers, and honestly, it sounds like a solid plan.

"Yeah. Thanks, Sam." Sam sits up straighter, looking pleased with himself. Finally, Paul reemerges from the kitchen, with a very impressive looking sandwich.

"What did I miss?" he asks, looking around the table. Jared shakes his head. Just then, Emily jumps up.

"Oh, I'm supposed to be home in twenty, I promised my sister I'd help with the baby. I gotta go guys, sorry, but Jared, good luck."

"Sure, I'll walk you out," Sam says, reaching for her hand. Jared and Paul smirk to each other, crack twin imaginary whips.

"You're one to laugh, Jared, that's going to be you in a couple of days. In no time Kim will have you carrying around her book and doing nerdy stuff with her."

"How much do you know about her?" Jared asks, completely ignoring the ribbing.

"A little bit, I guess. The res is small, man, you can't be in school for ten years with someone and not learn something about them." Paul frowns, trying to remember. Instantly, Jared feels guilty. He grew up here too, and he knows nothing about her.

"She reads a lot, I guess, and wears a lot of yellow. She has a little brother, Eric, I think. I helped coach Peewee football freshman year."

"That's all? Come on man, I need more than that!" Paul bristles immediately, and Sam, magical motherfucker that he is, appears to calm the situation.

"Jared, I think he's doing his best. Maybe you should just talk to her," he offers, gripping Paul's shoulder tightly. Subtle reminders from your alpha do wonders in calming the wolf. Paul relaxes, running a hand over his face.

"Alright, I'm tapped out for girl drama, I'm going to go home, see what's for dinner." With that, he's off, jogging down the lane. Sam sighs, looking after him.

"Look, don't worry so much about the imprint thing. It works out in the end. I'm pretty sure it's a biological thing, to ensure the next generation."

"Yeah, I guess."

Sam knocks a loose fist into Jared's shoulder, smiling a little. It reminds him of old Sam.

"The key is not being creepy. Don't come on too strong. Get her to trust you and then start a relationship. You'll have me, Emily, and Paul for back up." Sam frowns, backtracking. "Okay, maybe just me and Emily." Jared snorts, feeling a little lighter.

"Come on, let's go run a patrol. I want to know exactly how you blew it the first time." Okay, yeah, never mind, Sam's still an asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought, any comments or concerns!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At first, Kim thought this whole tutoring Jared thing was going to be impossible, considering she gets stupidly tongue tied around him. He doesn't ever mind, never making fun of her when she fumbles a phrase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are now entering: Plot City

At first, Kim thought this whole tutoring Jared thing was going to be impossible, considering she gets stupidly tongue tied around him. He doesn't ever mind, never making fun of her when she fumbles a phrase.

It doesn't pan out like her daydreams either. There are no grand confession of love and attraction, no make outs in the cab of his truck, no holding hands in the school hallways.

Still, it's nice. It's not like Kim's some friendless loser, but it's still feels good to make a new friend.

Today, Jared waits for her at the door of their calculus class, smiling at her. It's enough to screw with her balance, so Kim has to work on walking over normally.

"Hey, so I was thinking I could walk you over to your next class," Jared offers, looking nonchalantly at the books in his arms. Kim's eyes widen, and she can't help the way her imagination goes into overdrive, coming up with wild scenarios where Jared confesses his undying love for her. "Kim?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, that's, I have history—did you have another question?" she sputters out. Heat floods her cheeks, but Jared doesn't call her out on it.

"Uh, yeah. Can you explain number 14 again? I didn't get it when Mr. Callum did it." He runs his hand through his hair self-consciously, and Kim coos inwardly about how cute he is. Jared's pretty smart, actually, but Kim of all people can understand how embarrassing it is to ask someone for help.

She explains it to him as quickly as she can, walking beside him to her history class. She's pretty sure he has class in the opposite direction, but she's sure as hell not going to bring that she knows his schedule by heart. That would be a total stalker move. They stand outside the classroom until Mrs. Scanlon, her history teacher, clears her throat pointedly. Kim heads inside, giving Jared a little wave. He grins at her, wide and goofy looking, and heads off.

Needless to say, Kim doesn't hear a word Mrs. Scanlon says.

At lunch, Kim takes her usual spot in the corner of the cafeteria with Laura. They both always pack lunches, so the girls dump out their lunch bags, each picking and choosing from the pile in front of them.

Kim's unwrapping Laura's sandwich when suddenly, Jared Cameron's standing in front of her, holding a lunch tray laden with food. Laura recovers first.

"Uh, hey Jared. What's up?" she asks, suspicious. Kim swallows down the panic and forces a smile. Jared's own smile falters.

"Oh, I was just wondering if I could sit here today, if that was cool with you guys," he says. "Paul's sick, so I don't really have anywhere else…"

"Yes!" Kim blurts, way too loudly. Laura presses her lips together, like she's trying not to laugh, and heat floods into Kim's cheeks. Jared only smiles. "I mean, yeah, go ahead."

"Cool," he says, taking a seat. "Laura, right? I think I have art with you."

"Yeah, Mr. Henry's class," Laura agrees. "You know what, I forgot I had to… go do something, okay bye!"

Kim watches in horror as Laura leaves, leaving her alone with Jared. She knows that Laura's only trying to help, but Kim's not prepared! It's different when she's tutoring, because she has a general idea of what she's saying, but now, she has absolutely no idea of what to say.

Jared looks between Laura retreating figure and the expression of panic Kim's sure she's sporting. He looks down at his lunch, picking at it.

"So, that's a ton of food." If Kim could sew her mouth shut, she would, but of course she can't so she has to deal with her poor brain to mouth filter. Jared looks up, surprised. Oh, he's offended, he totally hates her, he thinks she's a crazy—

Instead of being mad, Jared cracks up. It's a beautiful sight; he laughs with his whole body, shoulders shaking, and head tipped back. His laugh is pretty cute too.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he chortles. "What's the deal with the pile?"

"Oh! Laura and I always share what we have, because she's super picky, and her mom never seems to pack what she wants, and Laura not allowed to pack her lunch, which is actually a pretty dumb rule—and I'm rambling, I'm sorry." Jared shakes his head, smiling kindly at her. Maybe he feels so bad for her clear social ineptitude that he's decided she's going to be his charity case or something.

"No, it's cool. I agree, it's a pretty dumb rule," he says. "What about you? Does your mom give you free lunch reign?" Kim giggles, tucking a few strands of her hair back.

"Um, she DJ's for 102.5, so she's never here in the mornings. I'm on lunch duty, for me and Eric." Jared's eyes light up.

"That's my favorite station! And I know Eric too, he came to the football camps Paul used to coach. How's he doing? Still playing ball?" There's a wistful note in Jared's voice that Kim can't place, but it makes her a little sad.

"He's good. He plays for the middle school team. What about you? Aren't you supposed to be on the team too?" The smile slips off Jared's face, and Kim instantly wants to take it back.

"Oh, well, I missed the back half of the season, and I think it's just better if don't play next season," he says, a melancholy look in his eyes.

"But you're so good! I've seen you play," Kim says.

"Yeah, thanks. No, I guess… I've moved on," he explains. Kim frowns but doesn't push it. It certainly doesn't sound like he's moved on.

"Enough about me," he says suddenly. "Tell me about you. What do you like to do?"

"Oh! Well, I like reading, mostly, and crafts, I guess," she mumbles, flushing. This whole conversation is falling apart, and any minute Jared's going to realize she's not worth it.

"Hey that's cool, you're like an artsy type person," he says, shoveling an entire sandwich into his mouth. Kim's jaw drops a little; she's never seen someone eat like that. Jared stops mid-bite, cheeks puffed out comically. Kim clamps her jaw shut to stop the laughter bubbling up. He swallows, cheeks going a delicate red. Adorable.

"Uh, sorry, I'm just—"

"Hungry? No big deal, go ahead." Kim pick's her sandwich back up, taking a bite. Jared eats a little more carefully now, glancing at her every so often. It's endearing.

They talk for a little bit, and sooner then she expects, the bell rings. Kim's a little surprised, she's never clicked with someone like that before, enough to lose herself in the conversation. Jared walks her to her next class, and lingers long enough to aggravate her French teacher.

By the time school's over, Kim's actually excited for her tutoring session. She takes a seat at their usual bench and pulls out her books and waits.

And waits.

And waits some more.

Thirty minutes later, Kim's convincing herself not to cry, that Jared Cameron isn't worth her tears, when Laura drops onto the seat beside her.

"Hey, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Kim hastily swipes at her cheeks and forces on a smile.

"You found me, what's up?" Laura's got a troubled frown on her face, and a crease between her eyebrows that means trouble. "Laura, what's wrong?"

"Jared talked to me in art class, said he had to skip your tutoring session. He said he was having a family emergency and he was really sorry," she explains. Instantly, Kim feels guilty and worried.

"Oh no! I hope everything's okay," she worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared’s never been so exhausted before. Right now, he’s sitting in a hospital room, clenching his fists. Every time he closes his eyes, the day’s events replay themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This is a little bit longer than previous chapters, but it’s action packed. Enjoy!

Jared’s never been so exhausted before. Right now, he’s sitting in a hospital room, clenching his fists. Every time he closes his eyes, the day’s events replay themselves.

Sam’s agonized howl, high and piercing, sharp enough to cut through him, ripping the wolf right now. It had taken every ounce of control he had to stay human and not phase right in the middle of his art class.

He remembers trembling _hard_ as he talked to Laura, and how he’d tore out school, running as fast as his feet could carry him.

He remembers phasing as soon as he hit the tree line, regardless of who could be watching. Paul was already in wolf form, panic inhibiting him from phasing back. He was trying though.

_Stay a wolf! Come on!_

Paul had followed, thankfully, fear making him obedient.

The scene they’d walked into had been horrific. Jared’s never going to forget it, not as long he lives. He remembers the scent of blood all around him, and Emily’s lifeless body in the grass.

Sam, beyond coherent thought, snarled and snapped at them.

_Sam, let me help you. Let me through, let me help her. Paul, you stay here, calm him down._

Sam did let him pass, and Jared forced a phase, carefully gathering Emily in human arms. He rushes her first to the house, long enough to put on pants, and then flat out sprints to the nearest hospital, leeches be damned.

Now, he sits in the waiting room, waiting for the leech doctor to come get him.

God, _Kim._

He can’t believe he just left like that, without saying anything to her. He hopes desperately she’ll understand. He can’t help but miss her right now, sure she’d have something soothing to say. He drops his head into his hands.

“Mr. Cameron?” The scent hits him before the voice does, and Jared focuses on not retching. He looks up.

Dr. Leech stands near the nurse’s station, looking like a creepy statue. Jared pulls himself up and follows him silently.

“I have to ask,” he starts, and immediately Jared bristles, wolf begging to be let loose. “Was it another wolf?”

“Our people have this handled,” he says, voice ice cold. The doctor sighs, stepping away.

“Ms. Young is inside. She’s stable, but the scratches are deep. It’ll take at least a few day in hospital to heal, and some weeks of rest at home.” Jared nods, curt.

“What should we do?”

“Remind her to change her bandages daily and take her prescription. Drink plenty of fluids and eat healthy. Rest.” Again, Jared nods, pushing into Emily’s room. The air’s a little better in here, but not by much. Antiseptic mingles with blood for a sickening scent.

Jared takes a seat next to her, taking one of her hands. Emily’s like family to him, supporting him when Sam was too hard on him. He can’t bear to see her like this. He can’t even imagine how Sam feels right now.

Jared must fall asleep, because he jerks awake when the door opens. It’s Paul, scowling and holding a hand in front of his nose. His eyes soften when he sees Emily.

“She wake up yet?” he whispers, taking a seat on her other side. Jared shakes his head.

“How’s Sam?” Paul shakes his head, looking down at his hands.

“It’ll be days at least before he can calm down enough to phase back. Also, I’m the worst person for the job. Every time I get into Sam’s head, it sets me off, and I have to calm myself before I calm him.”

“Shit, I know, but someone has to be here with her, and there’s no telling how you’ll react to the leech infestation here.” Paul nods, agreeing, but still looking miserable.

“Christ, this is so fucked up,” he laments. “Did you call her sister?”

“Yeah. Sarah and David are trying to find a sitter. I told them it was a hiking accident,” he explains. They sit in silence for a while, trying to ignore the deep devastation rolling through the pack.

A little while later, a nurse walked in, a sad expression on her face.

“Boys, visiting hours are over. It’s only immediate family until 6 AM,” she explains. Paul starts to tremble, so Jared jumps up.

“Her sister and brother-in-law are coming, but we don’t know when. Is it possible that one of us could stay with her until they get here?” The nurse frowns, but nods.

“Sure, but just for tonight, alright? And just one of you,” she agrees. Jared nods, gesturing for Paul to relax. She heads out.

“Paul, you go check on Sam, I’ll stay here until Sarah gets here.” Paul nods, rushing out. His trembling hasn’t stopped, and Jared prays he’ll make it.

It’s late when Sarah and David get in, thanking Jared profusely for staying with her. He assures them he’ll be back to help: in any way they need help.

He phases just outside the parking lot, carrying his pants in his mouth. He stashes them close to Sam’s place, and listens for his pack.

_Jared, we’re out by the clearing._

_On my way._

Jared listens for Sam, but all he’s getting is bone-slicing agony. Suddenly, he’s seeing Emily’s face, her expression going from defiant to terrified in a split second. He can feel his claws slicing into her face, hear the choked gurgle of her scream.

It takes all his effort to shake away the thoughts, but the second he shakes it off, his mind replaces Emily with Kim. Suddenly, Jared’s looking at Kim’s brown eyes, wide with fear. He feels himself rip through her silky skin, slicing it to ribbons. It’s enough to knock him off his course. He stumbles, falling with a thud. Jared lays there for a minute, agonized, before Paul finds him, thinking rationally.

_That never happened, Jared, you could never hurt Kim._

_Sam thought that about Emily._

A howl rips through the clearing, physically painful to listen to. Immediately, Jared wishes he could take back his words. It’s just what he needs though, to take back control. Jared shakes away those horrific images of Kim and focuses on Emily, the image of her in the hospital, frail, but stable. Soldiering on.

Sam’s pain tamps down just the slightest, and Jared focuses on the sound of her heartbeat, quiet but steady.

Jared replays the memory over and over, until Sam’s thought become tangible words.

_Is she… is she going to be okay?_

_In a couple days. I know she’s going to want you there, Sam._

_She’s never going to want to see me ever again._

This revelation is accompanied with another wave of sharp anguish, and surprisingly, it’s Paul who pulls out of it first.

_Sam, she’s your imprint. That’s a two-way street, man, you gotta be whatever she needs, and right now, I’m guessing she’ll need a punching bag. And maybe a nurse._

_Shut up, Paul!_

_No, he’s right, Jared. It’s my job to bear her anger, especially considering I was the one who hurt her. I’ll take whatever punishment she wants to deal out._

There’s a sense of calm, but both Jared and Paul can feel there’s no way Sam was phasing back, not tonight.

The three of them settle in the clearing, keeping vigil with Sam.

The next morning, the only person able to phase back is Jared, so Sam sends him to school, with a request to keep an eye on Emily.

He’s late, but slides into calculus at the very last minute. Kim offers him a sympathetic smile, and instantly, Jared feels better. They’ve got a chapter worksheet today, and they’re supposed to be working in pairs, so Jared swivels in his chair, facing Kim.

“Hey, partner,” he greets.

“Hey,” she says softly. Jared savors the calm in her voice. “How are you?”

“I’m alright,” he pauses, unsure of how to explain the situation. “My friend Emily was mauled by a bear on a hike.” Kim’s eyes go wide with concern, and she reaches across the table to take one of his hands. Jared squeezes back, holding on like she’s a lifeline.

“Is she going to be okay?” Jared nods, pensive.

“She’s a fighter.” At that Kim smiles, and warmth blooms in Jared’s chest.

“Let me know if I can do anything to help, okay? I’d be happy to,” she offers. It’s taking a lot of control to keep from kissing her. Kim stares down at their joined hands and slowly pulls away, fishing out a pencil. They work on the worksheet, and before long they’re done. Jared even feels like he contributed.

The bell rings, and without talking about it, Jared and Kim fall into step, head towards Kim’s history class.

“I feel kind of bad—”

“What? Why?” Jared panics a little, because he thought everything had been going well.

“No, I just meant, you’re always walking me to my classes. Aren’t you ever late for yours?” Instantly, Jared relaxes, chuckling.

“Nah, I’m fast when I need to be,” he says. Kim’s eyebrows knit together for a minute before her expression smooths into a smile.

“Don’t be late to class,” she says, eyes twinkling. If the world boiled down to just Kim’s eyes, Jared would be so down for that.

Kim’s agreed to postpone the tutoring sessions until Emily’s back at home, so for now, he spends his evening at the hospital, and nights with Sam.

On the fourth day of Emily’s hospital stay, Jared’s guilty enough about Kim that he actually pulls out his homework, going through some of the calculus first.

“Jared?” He’s a little ashamed to say he jumped, but Emily’s voice is nothing but a dry croak. He hops to, pouring her a glass of water. She takes it in a shaking hand, but she won’t let him help. After a couple sips, Emily touches her face.

“How bad is it?” she asks. Her voice is a clearer, but there’s a definite waver.

“Not bad. You have to keep the bandages on for a couple weeks, but it should be fine after that. The doctor said he missed your eye.” Jared tells her, cheerful. She laughs, but it’s hollow.

“Where is Sam? Did he go to get coffee or something?” Emily looks around, like Sam’s going to pop out of a cupboard. Jared’s heart hurts, but there’s no point in lying to her.

“He… can’t phase back right now. Paul’s been trying to calm him, but…”

“You have Paul out there? Paul, who has zero control?” Emily looks resolute. “Bring him to me. Tell him I need him.”

“I don’t know if—”

“He’ll come. Tell him I want him to be here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you thought. Till next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim stands at her locker, rummaging around for her favorite purple pen. It’s her editing pen, and they’re getting their first drafts of their English essays back today.   
> “Hey, you,” Jared’s low, sexy voice sends shivers down her spine, and Kim has to breathe for a second before facing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, for a little action. Enjoy!

Kim stands at her locker, rummaging around for her favorite purple pen. It’s her editing pen, and they’re getting their first drafts of their English essays back today.

“Hey, you,” Jared’s low, sexy voice sends shivers down her spine, and Kim has to breathe for a second before facing him.

“Hey, Jared, how are you?” He grins, and Kim notices he’s a lot closer than he would be usually.

“Better, now that you’re here. Hey, listen, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go down to the pier today? After school? The weather is finally clearing up,” he says. Kim feels a flush travel up her neck, all the way across her cheeks and up to her ears.

“The pier?” She asks, voice breaking a little. The pier is a date place. Jared wants to take her to a date place. At her weird reaction, Jared steps back, looking crestfallen.

“Or not, it doesn’t matter, never mind—”

“No! I was just surprised, I’d love to go,” she says, loving the way Jared lights up.

“Awesome! You wanna go after school? There’s this great diner, best milkshake you’ve ever had,” he promises, beaming at her.

“Totally, I’ll meet you in the parking lot after school.” Plans made, Jared walks with her to calculus, telling her about Emily’s recovery. She’s doing well, and has been able to take the bandages off her face finally. Kim wants to meet her; she sounds like she means a lot to Jared.

After school, Kim waits in the parking lot for Jared to show. Suddenly, there are two huge hands obstructing her view. Kim jumps, but relaxes when she hears Jared low rumble of a laugh.

“Guess who?”

“Hey, Jared.”

He takes her hand, and Kim has to focus all her energy on not swooning. Jared Cameron is holding her hand.

His truck is a beat up old Chevy, but Jared promises her it runs like a dream. She hops up into the passenger side, admiring the look of concentration that takes over Jared’s face as he drives.

“You can turn the radio on if you want,” he says, turning on to the main road. Kim smiles, and fiddles with the old stereo, looking for her mom’s radio show. She finds it, grinning when she hears her mother’s voice. The show’s been getting really popular, which is great for Donna, but Kim misses her mom a little.

“Oh, I love this show,” Jared says, laughing when Donna cracks a joke.

“That’s my mom,” Kim tells him, unable to keep the pride out of her voice. Jared looks at her suddenly, eyes wide.

“No way! That’s awesome! It must be so cool to have her as your mom,” he says, turning into the pier’s parking lot.

“It’s pretty awesome. She gets to meet rock legends all the time, so that pretty cool. Eric thinks it’s lame, though.” Kim’s not sure why, but it’s easy to tell Jared anything that comes to mind, even her private opinions on her family. Jared snorts.

“Eric’s in middle school, he thinks everything’s lame.” Kim laughs, elated when Jared takes her hand again. They walk along the beach, enjoying the crisp March breeze. As promised, Jared takes her to get milkshakes, and Kim has to agree, they’re the best.

Jared talks about his family, how it’s just him, his mom, and his older sister, Karey. She’s got a kid, Parker, around Eric’s age. He doesn’t talk about his dad, but Kim can tell it’s a sore spot. At least he knows who his father is, Kim and Eric have no clue, though they know they have different fathers.

They sit in the sand for a while, quiet after a heavy conversation. Kim feels lighter, somehow. She knows her problems are still there, talking about them doesn’t make them go away, but at least she feels better.

Jared’s an exceptional listener, knowing exactly when she needs a sympathetic ear, and when she needs advice.

“Hey, listen. A buddy of mine, Sam Uley is hosting a bonfire next weekend. His fiancée, Emily, is moving in with him, so it’s a pretty big deal. I thought it would be cool if you came down to meet them,” he invites, looping an arm around her shoulders. Kim leans into him without even thinking, breathing in his earthy scent. Truthfully, she’s a little nervous. She’s met Paul already, and they got along just fine, but Sam and Emily are apparently really important to Jared.

“Sure, I’ll be there,” she agrees. It’s a pretty big step, she thinks, if Jared wants her to meet the rest of his friends. A few months ago, Kim would’ve thought that would include the football team too, but Jared doesn’t even talk to those guys anymore. After rumors begin to circulate about Jared and Paul joining a cult Sam runs, Jared’s popularity has flown out the window. Still, Kim doesn’t care. She has Laura, Jared, and now Paul. It’s a pretty solid social circle. And besides, there’s no way Sam’s running a cult, not if Jared trusts him. 

“Cool, I’ll pick you up around seven maybe? Friday night?” he asks, pulling Kim a little closer.

“Sounds good to me,” she agrees. They sit like that for a while, just enjoying each other, before Kim figures she ought to head home. She’s got dinner to make.

Jared drives her back, and walks her to the door. They linger there, on the porch, just smiling at each other.

“So, this is me,” Kim says, blushing a little. Jared flushes too, but it’s harder to see on his skin.

“Kim,” he starts, voice serious. Kim nods, letting her smile fall a little. “Can I kiss you?”

For several moments, maybe hours, or possible several sunlit days, Kim stands there, completely shocked. Jared Cameron wants to kiss her! Her, Kimberly Conweller, a little nobody from calculus class. Oh, she can’t even believe this is happening, and she can’t even imagine what Laura will say, and—

“Kim?” Jared looks anxious, and Kim realizes she’s just left him hanging.

“Yeah, totally, I’d like that,” she admits. Jared laughs, taking hold of her waist and pulling her in. Before she even knows what’s happening, Jared presses his mouth to hers, and Kim _melts._

It’s the best kiss she’s ever had, warmth spreading through her from the tip of nose down to her toes.

Hesitantly, she brings her hands up to rest on his shoulders, reveling in his heat. All too soon, Jared pulls away, eyes glassy.

“Um, wow, that was, that was amazing,” he says, voice hoarse.

“Yeah,” Kim whispers. Her voice is failing her right now, and she can’t actually get her brain to form full sentences. 

“So, Friday?” he affirms, still holding on to her. Secretly, Kim thinks she’d topple over without his support.

“Um, yeah, totally.” Slowly, her brain is coming back to life, reminding her she should probably go in, that Eric is probably watching this whole exchange and getting ready to mock her about it. None of that actually matters, not when Jared’s looking at her like she’s the _sun, the moon, and the stars._

“Cool,” he says, and before she can react, he ducks in again, pressing a quick little peck to her lips before heading for his truck. Kim watches him drive away before she heads inside, feeling happier than she’s ever felt before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The moment we’ve all been waiting for! Let me know what you thought, and I’ll catch you guys next time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared walks back to Sam and Emily’s in a daze. He’s still reeling from the kiss, and the fact that Kim wanted him to kiss her. Her mouth had been perfect, the best goddamn kiss he’s ever had. Paul’s sitting at the table, wolfing down some muffins Emily made earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, kids, things are getting serious now. Enjoy!

Jared walks back to Sam and Emily’s in a daze. He’s still reeling from the kiss, and the fact that Kim wanted him to kiss her. Her mouth had been perfect, the best goddamn kiss he’s ever had. Paul’s sitting at the table, wolfing down some muffins Emily made earlier.

“What’s with your face, man?” he asks through a full mouth.

“Huh?”

“Hey, Jared, pull up a chair and I’ll get you a muffin,” Emily says, reaching up to pat his cheek. He does, still smiling. “Did you just come back from seeing Kim?”

“Yeah.” At that, Paul sighs dreamily, batting his eyelashes like a cartoon, and just like that the spell is broken. Lightning fast, Jared reaches across the table and slaps Paul upside the head, cackling at his murderous expression.

“Do not provoke him, Jared. The last this I need is a wolf exploding in my kitchen,” Emily says, voice stern. They hush up right away, not wanting to make her mad. It’s not even the threat of withheld baked goods, but the fact that Emily doesn’t deserve any stress, not because of the wolves. Sam’s residual guilt lingers in the both of them.

“Sam! Get out here, the boys are here! I’m putting dinner out,” Emily yells. There’s an almighty crashing sound, probably Sam flailing around, trying to get to dinner before he or Paul demolish it.

He still manages to look imposing when he gets out here, stopping to kiss Emily before taking a seat. She serves herself a plate first, then sets the rest of the food in the middle of the table, watching them descend on it.

Halfway through dinner, when the wolves have eaten enough to not be starving, the conversation starts.

“I invited Kim to the engagement bonfire,” Jared says, smirking when Emily casually flashes her ring. Sam smiles, watching his girl.

“We’ll try not to scare her,” he says. Jared frowns, growing serious.

“I was thinking we could tell her,” he starts. Everyone goes still, looking to Sam. Surprisingly, he smiles.

“That’s fine. She’s pack now,” he assures Jared. “How do you want to do it?”

“How do I do it without scaring the fuck out of her?” he asks, worry creeping up. Paul shrugs.

“Kim’s pretty go-with-the-flow, I don’t think she’d freak out too bad.” He smirks now. “Especially when you tell her about the imprinting.”

Jared glares at his best friend, and in a fit of immaturity, launches a spoonful of mashed potatoes at him. Paul snarls, but before anything can happen, Sam clamps a hand on his shoulder, forcing a calm.

“Kim’s going to freak when she learns that she’s actually dating a four-year-old,” Sam grumbles. “Quit provoking Paul.”

“I think it’s going to be fine,” Emily says. “I’ll be there too, make sure it goes okay, imprint to imprint.” Jared nods, feeling a little better.

The conversation gets lighter, until Sam snags the last dinner roll, and refuses to give it to Paul, which triggers a phase. Hustling, he and Jared drag Paul out just in time, watching him explode into a wolf. He snarls, and Sam, still clutching the rolls, groans before tossing it up for Paul to catching.

The wolf’s tongue lolls out, and it trots off into the woods.

“Nice, Sam.”

“Shut up and follow him,” Sam instructs, already trembling. Jared jogs into the woods, shucking off his pants and throwing them up into a tree. Concentrating, he forces a phase, shaking his head to rid himself of disorientation.

Going from person to wolf is hard on purpose, and going from wolf to person is harder still. Jared’s still only now getting the hang of it, but Sam says he’s the most level-headed wolf out of the three of them.

They find Paul a little ways off, sitting back on his haunches, eyes closed.

_Dude, what are you doing?_

_Shut up, man I’m trying to concentrate. If I phase back in the next ten minutes, I can get back in time for pie._

_Hurry up, you giant asshole._

_Look who’s talking, Samuel. I’m not the one trying to starve my pack._

_Oh, for Christ Sake!_

Jared sighs, turning away from the bickering. He scans the tree line, and goes still when he spots a rustling in trees, maybe three or four hundred yards out.

_Everyone shut up! I saw something._

_What was it, Jared?_

_Too big to be an animal, but no leech smell. Hikers. Come on, we have to get the hell out of here. Paul, phase back!_

_I’m trying!_

The rustling gets closer, and out of the trees, Jared can see two people emerge, one smaller than the other. He squints, and goes cold.

It’s Kim and Eric.

Panic floods his system, cutting off his ability to think rational thought. The panic spreads, and Paul is up, growling nervously, looking around wildly.

_Jared, what?_

_What happened man? What’s going on?_

Jared tries to focus, to calm down, but his entire system is up in arms. His imprint is too close, and Paul’s already crouching, gearing up for a fight. Sam follows Jared gaze, huffing quietly.

_Hikers. Three hundred yards out._

_Shit, Sam! What do we do? I can’t phase back!_

_You run, I’m going to trying and figure Jared out. If you hit the Canadian border, come back. That’ll be plenty of time._

Paul takes off, and Jared can relax a little.

_That’s Kim, and her brother._

_Shit! Come on, Jared, don’t just stand there, she’ll see us._

Just then, like she heard, Kim turns, and spots the wolves. Jared doesn’t miss the way her face pinches up in fear, or the way she steps in front of her brother. The two humans tremble in fear, and Jared’s rooted to the spot, mind warring. On one hand, he knows it’s him that’s the danger, and that he should get the hell out of here. On the other hand, Jared wants nothing more than to bound up to them, soothe Kim, protect her from the danger.

_Jared, now, before they call the park rangers. Jared! **Jared, move now!**_

Jared buckles under the influence of the alpha command, and does as he’s bid, ears flat against his head and tail tucked in between his legs. Together, he and Sam chase after Paul, following his scent. Thirty minutes later, they find him, right at the border, worrying a path into the ground.

_Let’s wait here for an hour. They’ll be long gone by then._

Sam’s tone is measured and calming, but neither Jared nor Paul calm down. Jared’s replaying Kim’s face in his mind, over and over again, letting the panic well up. It doesn’t help Paul at all, who usually relies on Jared for calm.

In the end, Sam forces calm with the alpha command, and from there, talks Jared down. They run back, with Sam in front, scanning for anymore humans. They come up clear, and with that relief that Kim is safe, Jared forces a phase back. It takes a while, but Sam manages to talk Paul in phasing back, and the three of them go back to the house, greeted by a few slices of pie left out. Jared smiles, thanking god for the saint that Emily is.

He only hopes her presence will make this whole thing easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about Sam. I know he gets a bad rep in the fandom, being being this stuck up hardass, but I can’t imagine he is. That’s just the way Bella and Jake see him, and let’s be honest, they don’t really give him the benefit of the doubt. I think he used to be a lot like Jared and Paul, but now he’s buckling under the weight of being alpha, and wanting to prove that even though he’s not the rightful alpha, he can still be a good one. Okay, I’m going to stop now, but just know that I love Sam Uley with all my heart. Tune in next time!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim doesn’t stop trembling until she gets to the house. Eric’s gone pale, his jaw clamped shut. She goes to pull out the house keys, but her hands shake so hard she can barely produce the right key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late, but school’s been nuts! Either way, enjoy this latest installment.

Kim doesn’t stop trembling until she gets to the house. Eric’s gone pale, his jaw clamped shut. She goes to pull out the house keys, but her hands shake so hard she can barely produce the right key.

Suddenly, the door opens and Kim yelps, flinching in tandem with Eric. It’s Donna, looking at them in alarm.

“What happened?” she demands, ushering them inside. She makes them sit on the couch, and sits between them, wrapping an arm around both of them. “What happened?”

No one speaks for a long time, no can. Finally, it’s Eric who breaks the silence.

“There was something,” he starts, voice shaky. “In the woods. It saw us.”

“What, baby? Like a mountain lion?” Donna’s on the verge of tears, it sounds like. Still, Kim can’t bring herself to talk. Eric shakes her head vigorously.

“Not a mountain lion. It looked like… a wolf,” he says. Donna blinks at him, thoroughly confused.

“A wolf? Honey, there aren’t wolves in this part of Washington,” Donna tells him. Eric shakes his head again.

“I saw it, mom. It was huge, like a bear. Bigger than a bear,” he argues. Donna tucks him against her side, pressing a kiss into his hair.

“We’ll take care of it, baby. I’ll call the sheriff’s station, or animal control or something. Things like this happen all the time, there’s nothing to worry about.” Eric nods, slumping. “Kimmy? Sweetie, are you okay too?”

Kim nods, a quick jerk of her head. She doesn’t want to worry her mother. She takes a deep, measured breath. Her mother’s right, of course. They live in a pretty rural place, dense forests surrounding them on all side, full of wild life. Mostly, it’s deer, but there are bears and mountain lions. The Olympic Peninsula isn’t fit for a wolf pack.

People see predators all the time, but this hadn’t been normal. Kim remembers the eyes very, _very_ vividly. They were a very clear, intelligent brown. Kim felt as though she knew them, strange as it seems.

The thing that unnerves her the most, however, was her own conflict.

She knew that she’d been very lucky. While people came from all over to hike these trails, they were always warned about the animals. Forks simply didn’t have the budget to give animal control.

But she also knew, deep down, she hadn’t been truly afraid. Shocked, yes, but not afraid, not like she should’ve been. It had felt familiar, the great beast, but she couldn’t place why.

Suddenly, the phone rings, startling all three Conwellers. Eric recovers fastest, picking up.

“Hello?” Eric’s stoic expression dissolves, and a small smirk graces his face. “Sure, man, let me grab her.”

Eric holds out the phone at Kim, full on smirking now.

“It’s your boyfriend,” he sings, loud enough for Jared to surely hear. Kim jumps up, snatching the phone out of his hands. Eric laughs, and as good as it feels to see him smile, Kim’s kind of wants to smack him.

“Hey, sorry about Eric,” she says. Jared laughs, but it’s strained. Kim blushes, embarrassed. He’s uncomfortable, she realizes. Kim shrinks in on herself. Jared’s talking, but she can’t hear a word he says. He’s regretting everything now.

“Kim?”

“Sorry, what, I missed that last bit.” Jared chuckles again, more strained.

“I just asked if you were still coming, y’know, on Friday?” Kim purses her lips, unsure. Just a few hours ago, she was head over heels in love with Jared, thrilled he was paying attention to her. The more she thought about it, however, the less it made sense.

Why would Jared Cameron be into her of all people? He’d dated six girls last year, and each one had been more beautiful than the last. Kim didn’t hold a candle to them.

“Oh, about that,” Kim says, voice shaking. She clears her throat; she won’t cry for Jared Cameron, especially not in front of him. “I can’t make it.” There’s a heavy silence that follows.

“Why not?” Jared asks. His voice is neutral, and honestly, that just confirms her fears. He doesn’t actually care about her.

“My mom doesn’t think it’s a good idea,” she lies, wrapping an arm around her middle.

“Oh,” Jared’s voice is small.

“Sorry.”

“No, that’s… that’s okay.” Jared says finally. “Um, I’ll see you at school, I guess.”

“Okay,” Kim whispers. She wants to get the hell out of this call, and throw herself onto her bed, but she can’t, not with her mother and Eric watching her in confusion. Jared hangs up, and Kim sets the phone gingerly down, running a hand through her hair.

“Did you just… break up with your boyfriend?” Eric asks, breaking the silence.

“Eric, that’s enough. Why don’t you take some dinner and go upstairs. Get a head start on your homework,” Donna instructs. Grumbling, Eric does as he’s told, stomping up the stairs.

“Who called, honey?” she asks, voice gentle.

“Jared.” Kim’s answer is curt, and instantly, she feels bad about it.

“Really?”

“Yeah. That’s where I was after school, before Eric and I went on that hike. We went to get milkshakes, and he invited me up to his friend’s bonfire.” Donna raises her eyebrows, surprised.

“I thought that’s what you wanted, honey, to be with Jared. Why did you tell him you couldn’t come?”

“I just panicked. I mean, after hearing how he sounded after Eric called him my boyfriend. He sounded so embarrassed about it. I don’t want to be with someone who’s embarrassed of me.” Kim explains. She flops onto a chair, sighing heavily.

“Well, that’s a very mature way to think. I wish I had that kind of maturity when I was your age.” Donna’s eyes are wistful, and faraway.

“Are you talking about my father?” Kim asks cautiously. This has always been a hard topic for Donna, but now, Kim’s curious. And besides, it’ll keep her mind off of Jared.

“Oh, baby, you don’t want to hear about him,” Donna says, waving her off. Kim shakes her head, adamant.

“Mom, you’ve been saying that since I was old enough to ask, but I want a real answer now. I’m old enough to take it.” Donna shuts her eyes, pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Baby, not tonight, you’re already hurt—”

“Yes, tonight! I want to hear about him!” Donna goes silent, shocked. Kim has never, not once in her life, raised her voice at her mother. “I’m so sorry, mom, I didn’t mean to yell—”

“You’re right.”

“What?”

“You’re right,” Donna repeats. “You need to hear this.” She gestures to the couch, so Kim sits, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to her chest. Donna fills up a mug with coffee, making her way to the couch.

“Ask away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so some conflict has been established. Imprinting, to me, is a very stressful, emotionally intense thing, so it’s not like things can just fall together perfectly, especially with the way I imagine Kim’s character to be. She’s not very self-confident, and to have one the most popular boys in school, someone who she’s been pining for, can very realistically give her emotional whiplash, resulting in making her uncertain about the budding relationship. Sorry for the rant, but tell me what you thought!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared hangs up the phone, hands trembling. The wolf creeps up his spine, but it’s with none of the usual force. Jared drags himself outside, all the way to the woods. There he phases, and lets out a low, anguished howl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Jared hangs up the phone, hands trembling. The wolf creeps up his spine, but it’s with none of the usual force. Jared drags himself outside, all the way to the woods. There he phases, and lets out a low, anguished howl.

He doesn’t have to wait long for someone to respond.

_What happened?_

_Dude, what’s wrong?_

The panic in Paul’s voice contrast’s Sam’s calm question, but Jared doesn’t the energy to explain. Instead he plays back the memory of the phone call, of Kim’s rejection.

_Oh, god, you’re going to fly off the handle every time you and Kim go through a rough patch, aren’t you?_

_Shut up, Paul, imprinting, especially in the first few weeks, is pretty tumultuous for a wolf._

_Oohh, big word, Sam._

_Shut it. Jared, things are going to be fine. You can’t let the wolf control your emotions, not when it comes to her. Let your human brain take this one._

_The one in your head, not in your—_

_Shut up, Paul!_

Jared laughs a little, and it comes out a low bark. He’s not totally fine, but he can see that Sam and Paul have a good point. Every time he hits a snag with Kim, every time he gets resistance from her, makes him want to phase. He’s got to get himself back under control.

_Emily does yoga. Maybe you could do it with her?_

_Yeah, Jared. Up for a little downward dog action?_

Jared growls, but it’s too playful to have a bite. He and Paul leap at each other, wrestling.

_Pack it in! While we’re out here, we might as well get a patrol done._

And just like that, the light mood disappears.

Sam has them patrol the treaty border for a few hours, and when it looks like the res is leech free, Sam gives them the okay to go home. Jared takes his time, gathering his thoughts. His mom’s been on his case lately, about disappearing all the time. Even Parker’s been asking questions.

When he does get home, in just his jeans and shoes, his mother waits on the porch, hands on her hips.

“Jared, where have you been?” she asks. Jared smiles as charmingly as he can.

“Nowhere ma, just taking a walk.” He presses a kiss to her cheek, and slips in the kitchen before she can get another word in. “What’s for dinner?”

“Pot roast. Now, where did you actually go?” His mother is much smaller than him, but she’s raised him and Karey all on her own after his dad died, so Jared’s got a healthy fear of her. He sits.

“Just walking,” he answers, keeping a straight face. He’s gotten much better at lying now, had to be. Sam’s gag order prevents him telling his family anything, no matter how much he wants to sometimes.

“Shirtless in the woods?” Her words drip with ire, but Jared can see the genuine worry behind the words. He thinks fast.

“There’s this girl,” he starts. Bonnie, his mom, sits, folding her hands in front of her. “She hikes sometimes, through the woods. I’ve been trying to get her attention.” He winces at the lie, but hopefully, his mom will just buy it as embarrassment. Bonnie starts to laugh and doesn’t stop.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s really dumb.” Bonnie shakes her head, still laughing too hard to talk. Karey walks into the kitchen and stops short when she sees her mother in hysterics.

“What’s so funny?” she asks, pouring herself a glass of juice.

“Guess where Jared’s been!” Bonnie says between bouts of laughter. Karey takes a seat, eyes twinkling.

“Where have you been, Jare?”

“Hiking shirtless through the woods to impress a girl!” At this, Karey cracks up, dropping her head into the cradle of her arms.

Jared waits, unimpressed, for them to finish laughing, but every time they look at him, one of them starts up again, setting the other off. It takes an entire fifteen minutes for them to calm down.

“Oh, god, Jared, we were worried you were on drugs!” Karey shakes her head, like she’s trying to shake off her giggles. “I can’t believe you!”

“Did it work?” Bonnie asks, in mock seriousness. Jared glares at them, but neither stop smirking at him. “Did she fall for your glorious six pack?”

“Mom!” he yelps, cheeks burning. He knows his body’s changed considerably, but he so doesn’t need his mother commenting on it. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop,” she concedes, still laughing a little. The smile slips off her face. “Oh god, I don’t have to worry any pregnant teenagers, do I? Because I don’t think I’d be able to handle that, honey.”

“No! Absolutely not!” Embarrassment surges through him, rousing the wolf. Immediately, his heckles rise, but Jared forces it down. His mom holds her palms up, in a peaceful gesture.

“Alright, I trust you.” Karey frowns, wrapping her arms around herself. Karey has personal experience with pregnant teenagers, she used to be one. She had Parker her junior year and has only just now gotten her life back to where she wants it to be.

“Anyways, it’s not like she’s even looking my way. I thought for a while that we were good, but I guess not.” It feels good to talk about it, even if Jared can’t divulge all the details. Bonnie’s eyes soften.

“Maybe you’re going about this all wrong. Try to appeal to her likes, her hobbies, her interests. Show her you really care. A relationship is about being yourself with a person and enjoying life together.” Jared smiles at his mom’s sentiment.

“Sure, mom,” he agrees. The mischievous twinkle in her eye resurfaces.

“No more hiking shirtless through the woods! It’s creepy and weird!” 

By the time, Jared escapes the teasing, it’s pretty late, so the trudges over to his desk, pulling out some schoolwork. He gets through a solid amount of it before deciding he’s done. Everything due tomorrow has been taken care of, so Jared figures that’s good enough.

He flops back onto his bed, mulling over his mom’s words. Appeal to Kim’s likes, show her that he cared. Maybe that was it. Maybe she thought he didn’t care enough. Carefully, Jared runs through everything he knows about Kim, trying to find something to get him started.

There are pins on her backpack, he remembers, of comic book characters. There’s a comic book store up in Port Angeles, maybe he could take her there.

First things first, though. He needed to get back to being friends with Kim for this to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Jared has a plan of action! Let me know what you thought, especially of Jared’s family. Tune in next time!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim spends all week avoiding Jared, which isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. Laura tells her this is all ridiculous, but then again, boys like Laura, so she doesn’t know how it feels to be in Kim’s shoes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Hope you enjoy this latest installment!

Kim spends all week avoiding Jared, which isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. Laura tells her this is all ridiculous, but then again, boys like Laura, so she doesn’t know how it feels to be in Kim’s shoes.

By Friday, Kim is so hyperaware of Jared’s presence that even the mention of his name makes her jittery. Lately, he, and Paul, are all anyone can talk about.

On Wednesday, right before lacrosse started, Jared quit the team. Football was one thing, but at the tribal school, lacrosse was the big sport. Jared had been considered a favorite for captain this year, so it came as a shock when announced he wasn’t playing.

That wasn’t the only thing either.

He’d quit all his friends too. The jocks he used to hang out with avoided him, sneering every time he got close. The girls he’d dated steered clear, like it wasn’t just their reputation on the line. He skipped class like crazy as well, but the school never seemed to do much about it.

The rumors that swirled were crazy. People said he was on drugs. Other’s said he dealt drugs. Some thought he was a criminal. The prevailing rumor, however, was that he was part of a cult, run by Sam Uley.

The strange thing was, it made sense.

When they first started talking, Kim noticed Jared had been different than what he’s been before, but now she could see him clearly, with any rose-tinted glasses.

He was skittish, and temperamental, opting to be alone. He was a total flake, he only attended their calculus class on the regular.

Jared never seemed to be that way with her, though. When they spent time together, Jared was kind, open, and seemed to enjoy her presence.

“Maybe that’s why he wanted you to go to that bonfire, Kim, so Sam and his cult could sacrifice you!” Laura taunts. They’re sitting at their regular lunch table, and Kim had been talking Jared theories. Laura wasn’t a fan.

“Shut up!” Still, a sense of apprehension filled her. Maybe, and not in a literal sense, Laura was right. Maybe Jared and Paul were meant to be recruiting. Maybe that’s why he’d been so kind.

“Oh god, I was kidding!” Laura says, noticing the look on Kim’s face. “He’s not in a cult! I know the Uley’s, my dad works for their construction company. They’re good people. If Sam’s anything like his dad, he’s not a cult leader.”

“I know that!” She says hastily. A blush takes over her face and Laura rolls her eyes.

“I’m so over the drama at this school,” she grumbles. Kim knows that, rationally, Laura’s right. But she can’t help but feel like there’s something wrong.

After school, she and Laura walk back to her car. Laura’s car, an ancient vista cruiser, broke down, so the girls have been carpooling.

“Wanna tell me the real reason you’re avoiding Jared? And don’t feed me any he’s in a cult bullshit, because we both know that’s not true,” Laura says matter-of-factly once they’re in the car. Kim flushes; they were bound to have this conversation sooner or later, but Kim had been hoping for later.

“We don’t know that,” she says. She knows the cult thing isn’t true, but Kim knows, in a way she can’t explain, that Jared is part of something, something bigger than just him, Paul, and Sam.

“Come on Kim, you can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me,” she says. Sighing, Kim gives in.

“It just doesn’t make sense! Why would Jared Cameron like me? I’m not as pretty as Katie, or Madison, or even Jennifer!” She laments, thinking back to the girls Jared dated. Those three weren’t even the prettiest, either.

“Oh, god, is that what you’re worried about?” Laura frowns at her. That’s Kim’s favorite thing about Laura, that she tells it straight. Right now, however, Kim sort of hates that about her.

“Kim, you dummy, Jared likes you because you’re cool, and nicer than anyone ever,” she explains. Kim frowns.

“He likes me because I’m nice?” It doesn’t make sense.

“Think about the other girls he’s dated. Every girl turned out to be a drama-obsessed pyscho! You’re a breath of fresh air, someone Jared can be with and enjoy himself. You guys complement each other. You relax him, and he makes you braver.” Laura’s right, like usual. He has made her braver; Kim’s more outspoken in class now, only because she’s so used to talking to Jared.

“You really think he likes me?” she asks, voice small. Laura rolls her eyes.

“You tell me, Kimmy, you spent more time with him,” she says, running a hand through her hair.

Thinking about it, Kim realizes she’s right. Jared spent a long time just being friends with her, more than he had with any of the other girls. She thinks back to the conversations they’d had, deep and insightful. Jared knew more about her hopes, dreams, and fears than any other person. What’s more, he’d actually wanted to listen to her.

She had relaxed him, she thinks. He wore an easy smile anytime they were together, and when he’d kissed her, he’d been so exhilarated.

Maybe it didn’t matter that she wasn’t most drop dead gorgeous girl Jared had ever seen. They liked spending time together. The connection between them was so strong, Kim couldn’t even pretend to deny it.

“Laura,” she says excitedly. “He really does like me!” Something warm passed through her, all the way down to the bones.

“I knew that, I’ve been saying it all week!”

After she drops Laura off, she rushes home, grabbing up the phone and punching in the number she knew by heart.

“Hello?” Kim falters at the woman’s voice but swallows her fears down.

“Hi, this is Kim Conweller, I’m a friend of Jared’s. Is he around?” she says.

“Oh! Sure honey, let me grab him for you,” the woman says. There’s a quiet thumping, like someone going up the stairs, and then a much louder one.

“Hello?” Jared sounds out of breath, and Kim has to smile.

“Hey, what’re you up to right now?” she asks, before she can chicken out. She’s going to straighten this whole thing out.

“Uh, I’m about to go… run an errand for my mom, but I’ll be back by eight. What’s up?”

“Do you want to go to the pier with me, around 8:30? Maybe get a milkshake? My treat,” she offers.

“Really?” Jared sounds pleasantly surprised and Kim counts it as a win. “Yeah, I’d love to. I’ll come pick you up around after I get back, around 8:15.”

“It’s a date,” Kim says, confidence in her voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so some of Kim’s worries have been ironed out! Let me know what you thought, any critiques, and see you next time!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared considers himself a very levelheaded person, even in the face of extreme stress. When he exploded into a giant wolf in the middle of a camping trip, he didn’t panic, or maim any of his friends. He kept his cool and let Sam find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang, enjoy the latest update!

Jared considers himself a very levelheaded person, even in the face of extreme stress. When he exploded into a giant wolf in the middle of a camping trip, he didn’t panic, or maim any of his friends. He kept his cool and let Sam find him.

Now, though, he’s running circles around Sam and Paul, anxiously worrying about the time. He knows, subconsciously, that Paul is going to try and rip out his throat any minute, and that Sam is most likely going to let him, but he doesn’t give a damn.

Kim’s finally, _finally_ coming around, and he wants to make this perfect.

_Sam, I’m going to kill him, stand back._

_As much as I’d love that, we need him. If it comes down to a fight, seven versus two doesn’t sound that great._

_Oh, nice, you guys, make fun of the guy with his entire future hanging in the balance!_

_Chill! You are guys are like soulmates or shit, things will work out._

_Usually, Paul’s an idiot. But he’s right about this._

Paul snarls, snapping his jaws at Sam. Sam growls back, and just like that, a wrestling match starts. Sam and Paul tumble in the grass, and somehow, Sam ends up sitting on Paul’s head. Jared watches in amusement.

_You’re crushing me with your giant ass!_

_Deal with it, you pissbaby!_

Paul dislodges Sam, and headbutts him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of Sam. Sam lunges, sending Paul flying. Sam’s clearly going to win; he has the experience and size advantage.

_Just give up, Paulie! I promise I won’t tell anyone you fight like a 98-year-old grandmother!_

Sam’s been in a much lighter mood now, after the engagement. Emily’s officially moved into Sam’s place, and it feels much homier now. Once, Jared caught him sizing up the spare bedroom, drawing up plans to put a crib in there.

Of course, Jared and Paul never let him live it down, teasing him mercilessly about it, in front of Emily. She verbally tore into Paul and Jared so badly after that, Paul had phased. He’d lost muffin privileges for a week for that one.

As corny as Sam and Emily could be, Jared wanted what they had desperately. Sam had gone through hell to be with her, and Emily protected him like she was the wolf. They loved each other, deeply.

The fight dies down, when they get close to the river. Sam shoves Paul in, and Paul sprays him with a hearty shake down. They’re taking a break right now, from their patrol, and by Jared’s count, it should be about 7:15. He has an hour.

_Alright, Jared, tap out if you’re so desperate._

Sam sounds resigned, but sure. Jared grins, which feels weird in wolf form, and starts off for Sam’s place. He’s been making it a habit to come from there, so he has an actual excuse for where he’s been. The official story is that Sam’s volunteering for the tribal council, along with him and Paul. His mom bought it, but Parker and Karey were suspicious.

At home, he showers and changes into the Karey approved outfit left out for him. It’s a simple white t-shirt, along with a flannel over top, and his favorite pair of jeans.

At 8, Jared hops into his truck and heads for Kim’s house. He’s a little early, but he’s sure Kim won’t mind. He takes a deep breath, and hops out of his truck, headed for the door. The door is wrenched open, and suddenly Jared finds himself faced with a smirking Eric.

“Uh, hey. Is your sister around?” he asks, a little awkwardly. Eric nods, gesturing with his chin to the living room.

“She’s still upstairs. Come on in,” he says. Jared follows Eric in, taken aback by how the siblings are so unalike. Eric exudes confidence, walking with a swagger that reminds Jared of himself a little.

Jared takes a seat on the couch, more than a little awkward. Eric sizes him up, with an expression Jared thinks is supposed to be menacing. He hides a smile; Eric can’t be older than Parker.

“Dude, I’d give you the shovel talk but…” Eric trails off, gesturing to Jared.

“Nah, don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt your sister.” The promise carries more weight than he can even understand. Eric flops onto the couch, grinning.

“Cool,” he says. “Cause I’m pretty sure you could squash me like a bug.” Jared cracks up, smirking at Eric.

“I don’t know, those muscles look pretty serious to me,” Jared says in mock-serious tones. Eric preens a little sitting up straighter.

“I play football,” he supplies, looking proud. “I’m really good too.”

“Yeah?” Jared asks, a little wistful. “What position?”

“Half-back or running back,” Eric says. “I think they’re more important than the quarter back.”

“Eric, honey, who are you talking—oh! You must be Jared! Hi, I’m Donna.” Donna looks a lot like Kim, the same skin and wide cheekbones, the same heart shaped face. Jared stands to shake her hand.

“Yeah. I’m a big fan of your show,” he says.

“Oh yeah? Great to hear. I’ll grab Kimmy,” she answers.

A couple minutes later, Kim comes down the stairs, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a simple sweater. Jared’s convinced he’s never seen a girl so beautiful.

“Hey,” he greets, voice dreamy. Kim smiles at him, warm and familiar.

“Hi.”

“Okay, guys, not too late. Kimmy, 11:30 okay?” Donna says, putting an arm around Eric. Kim nods, and with that they’re off.

Jared drives them up to the pier, and they stop off to get milkshakes to go. They head to the beach, and sit in the sand, watching the waves.

“God, it’s colder than I thought it would be,” Kim mumbles, rubbing her arms and shoulders. Jared grins: a perfect opportunity. Gently, he pulls her close, wrapping his arms around her, marveling at the wave her frame fits neatly into his. Kim melts into his warmth.

“How are you so warm?” she asks. Jared chuckles humorlessly. This is their first, _real_ date, the one that actually counts. As much as he wants to tell Kim the truth, he’s not going to, not yet.

“Uh, good circulation, I guess,” he answers. Kim laughs, and tucks her face into the crook of his neck. Jared tries to relax, but all that goes up in the air the moment he feels her cool lips brush against his neck.

_She’s just trying to warm up, man, not kiss you! Get a grip,_ he thinks sharply to himself. Kim seems to realize what she’s doing and pulls away abruptly. Even though he can’t see the blush on her face, he can feel the heat radiating off her skin.

“So, I wanted to talk to you about something,” she starts. She pulls away completely, looking at him square in the eye. Jared looks back, shoving away the rising sense of apprehension.

“Shoot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you thought.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim takes a deep breath before she continues. She knows what she’s going to say, she’s said it in the mirror about a hundred times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy some relationship development!

Kim takes a deep breath before she continues. She knows what she’s going to say, she’s said it in the mirror about a hundred times.

“I’m sorry for flaking out on you before.” The look of worry on Jared’s face morphs into confusion. “After you invited me to the bonfire, I flaked on you without giving you a real reason, and that wasn’t fair.”

“Hey, Kim, it’s okay, you don’t owe me anything,” Jared says, taking one of her hands in his. Immediately, Kim feels calmer, more confident.

“I know. But I like spending time with you. I guess I was just worried that…” Kim trails off, searching for the words. She wants to make this right, because Jared deserves that much.

“You heard what everyone else was saying, didn’t you,” he says. He pulls his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He looks small, and vulnerable.

“No! I mean, yeah, obviously I have, but—”

“None of that stuff is true,” Jared interrupts, a hard look in his eyes. “We’re trying to do _good_ out here, you know, things the tribe actually needs.”

“Jared,” her voice is soft, but Jared quiets like she’s yelled or something. “I believe you. You’re a good person. That’s what I like best about you.” He beams at her, leaning in a little closer.

“So, why’d you say no to the bonfire?” he asks after a moment, expression serious. Kim takes a sip of her milkshake, if only to have something to do with her hands.

“Look, it’s no secret that you and I run in very different circles,” she starts. Jared squeezes her hand, and just like that, she feels better. “It was hard to imagine that someone as cool and popular as you would like me.”

“Jeez, is that what you think?” Jared asks, offended. “I don’t give a damn about any of that stuff, and I don’t even hang with those guys anymore—”

“Jared, I know.” Heavy silence hangs between them for a moment, before Kim presses on. “But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was being dumb. We have a good time together, and I’ve never clicked with anybody like I’ve clicked with you. I mean, I can’t pretend that I’m totally over everything I used to think, but I want to try. Being with you, I mean. If you want.”

Jared’s got a blazing look in his eyes, and for a minute, Kim worries she might’ve overstepped, said something that will send him running, but all coherent thought sails right out the window the second he presses his lips against hers.

Jared kisses with purpose, more intensely than the other kiss they’d had. Jared’s hands come up to cup her face on either side. He leans into her, and Kim wraps her arms around his shoulder, so she doesn’t fall backwards into the sand.

Jared drags his tongue along the seam of her lips, and Kim parts them, letting him in. The kiss deepens, and she works one of her hands into his hair, carding her fingers through the short strands. She’s starting to feel lightheaded, dizzy from a lack of oxygen. Objectively, she knows she can breathe while kissing someone, but being with Jared, especially like this, makes her forget everything.

Regretfully, she breaks the kiss, gasping in lungful’s of air. Jared presses his forehead against hers, sighing contentedly.

“I’m never going to get used to that,” she admits, unable to keep the smile off her face. Jared chuckles.

“Good,” he says simply, ducking in for another kiss. It goes on and on, once Kim figures out how to angles her head, so she can breathe through her nose. Their milkshakes sit in the sand besides them, going forgotten.

Eventually, Jared pulls away. He keeps his arms right where they are, snug against her waist.

“We should probably get you back,” he says, reluctant. “I don’t want your mom to worry.”

Kim only nods, needing a minute to collect herself. Her head is reeling, and her heart is threatening to beat right out of her chest. Jared stands, offering a hand to help her up as well. Kim collects the milkshakes, frowning at them.

“I think these are kind of melted,” she says, swirling the contents of one of the cups.

“Toss ‘em,” Jared says, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “I got all the sugar I need right here.” Kim bursts out laughing at his words, leaning into him. She loves how goofy and carefree he can be, like spending time with her makes him lighter.

On the way back home, Jared throws on an old CD, hits from the seventies and the eighties.

“This was my dad’s,” he explains. “He gave it to me before died, right when I started middle school. Said this was the mix that got him mom.” Kim stays quiet, listening to the music. It’s an old _Tears For Fears_ song, cheery enough to keep the mood from becoming somber.

“I love this song,” she admits. “You dad had pretty awesome taste.” Jared’s eyes are wistful, but he’s still smiling.

“He would’ve loved you.” Jared says, smiling over to her. Kim place’s her hand over top of his, on the gear shift. The rest of the ride is quieter, but it’s a peaceful, content quiet, one that makes Kim feel safe and cared for.

At her house, Kim kisses him quick before sliding out of his truck, promising him that she’ll see him at school on Monday, and that she’ll call him tomorrow. She stands in the door frame, watching him drive away.

“So, I guess you and your boyfriend are back to your regularly scheduled levels of mushy.” Eric’s voice startles her. She whirls around to find her brother smirking at her, cookie in hand. After years of messing with Eric, her reflexes are sharp, so it’s no trouble snatching the cookie out of his hand and taking a bite.

“Hey!” They tussle for a minute, before Kim relinquishes the cookie, pulling her brother into a hug.

“Get off me weirdo!” Eric struggles, but she’s bigger than him. She plants a kiss on his forehead before letting him go, cackling at the way he frantically wipes it off.

“Why are you so happy?” Eric grumbles. “It’s weird.” Kim grins at him, uncaring.

“You better get used to this,” she sings, reaching over to ruffle Eric’s hair. Scowling, he ducks, moving away from her.

“You’re going to scare away your new boyfriend,” Eric warns, stuffing the rest of the cookie into his mouth.

“I don’t think so. I think he really likes me,” she sighs, flopping onto the couch. Eric comes to sit on the other side, flicking on the TV.

“Can’t imagine why, you looney-toon,” Eric teases. He smiles, uncharacteristically kind, and hands over the remote. “You get a free pass tonight, but any other night, I pick the show.” Kim laughs, flipping through the channels until she finds the one she’s looking for. It’s a rerun of The O.C.

“I know you’re trying to make fun of me, but I don’t even care because that’s how hot Marissa is.”

“Ew, gross!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything in Jared’s world is perfect. His grades are decent, Sam’s not riding him or Paul too hard, and Kim spends as much time as she can with him.   
> Well, there is one little thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, a little shorter today, I know, but things are definitely coming, plot wise!

Everything in Jared’s world is perfect. His grades are decent, Sam’s not riding him or Paul too hard, and Kim spends as much time as she can with him.

Well, there is one little thing.

Jared hasn’t told her. Not about the wolves, the legends, the threats, or the soul-deep bond between them. Mostly, he doesn’t think about it too much, because the Cullen’s have more or less settled, and Sam is finally starting to believe they won’t eat someone. There are still times, however, that it comes to the forefront of his mind. Today is one of those times.

He, Kim, and Paul are all sitting in Sam’s living room, unboxing a Playstation 2. Paul’s hunched defensively around the box, arguing that since he already has one at home, he should be in charge of putting it together. Sam argues that he should be the one setting it up, because he bought it. Jared and Kim are snuggled up on the couch, watching the exchange.

“Dude, Jared, tell him!” Paul whines, pointing a finger at Jared. He shrugs, not even bothering to hide his smirk.

“Not my call, man.” Paul grimaces, and turns to Kim.

“I’m your favorite, right Kim? Tell Sam that I have more experience!”

“You’re being so infantile right now, give me the box!” Sam argues, trying to snatch it away from Paul. The idiot in question dances away, still waiting for Kim. She sighs heavily before getting to her feet.

“I have a solution,” she announces.

“Finally, someone rational,” Sam mutters. Kim call for Emily to come into the room. At first, they’d been a little awkward around each other, but once Kim proved how kind and amazing she was, Emily grew incredibly fond of her, treating her like a younger sister.

“Yeah?” Emily asked, brushing flour off of her hands.

“Wanna help me set up the Playstation while the boys get dinner ready?” Kim asks serenely. Jared cracks up, and Paul and Sam break out into a chorus of defensive protests. They fall on deaf ears, however, because Emily pulls her apron up over her head, walks over to Sam, and slips it onto him. The tie in the back barely does up, but Emily admires him anyways, calling him handsome and kissing his cheek. Kim raises an eyebrow at Jared and he gets up. He’s not even mad; this is about to be hilarious.

“Em, wait,” Sam tries to protest, but Emily shoves him bodily from the living room. Paul is the last to join them in the kitchen.

“Why am I being punished because you two are whipped?” he grumbles, flopping onto a chair.

“Get up stupid, it’s all hands on deck,” Jared says, taking a look at the cookbook left on the counter. Giggling fills the living room, and Kim whispers to Emily that they might have to get in there and fix dinner anyways. Emily, in a whisper as well, says that she’d leave Sam if he couldn’t do something as simple as dinner.

“I don’t know why they bother whispering, they know we can hear them,” Paul complains, still draped over his chair. Sam frowns.

“Kim doesn’t,” he says simply. Jared can’t help the way he tenses, drawing his arms around himself defensively.

“I’m taking my time,” he snaps. Sam holds his hands up.

“And that’s fine. This is pretty much the most important thing you could her. Do it right,” he says. Still, Jared can’t help but feel judged. Paul rolls his eyes.

“Dude, you PMS more than Kim does. One minute everything’s fine, the next you’re whining about her not knowing,” he complains.

“I’m not whining,” Jared argues.

“Maybe not just now, but you do it a lot,” Paul concedes. Sam picks up the cookbook, flipping through it, while surveying the ingredients on the counter.

“I think she was making meatloaf,” he says, a heavy frown on his face. Jared smirks; he maybe be dramatic, but he’ll never be as dramatic as Sam. Privately, he thinks that Sam is the definition of a drama queen, with all the worrying he does and how seriously he takes everything.

“Cool, that’s easy,” Paul declares. “You just mash up the meat and shape it in a loaf.”

“Gross. Remind me to never eat anything made by you ever,” Jared teases. They bicker back and forth for a while, blatantly not helping Sam. Eventually, he threatens to withdraw dinner privileges, which is enough for Jared and Paul to get out of their seats. 

Still, the Kim issue weighs on the back of his mind.

Sam manages to wrangle his pack enough to get dinner ready, and when they finally get it done, on the table, ready to be devoured, the girls have been playing playstation for at least an hour.

“What took so long?” Emily teasingly asks, holding a hand out for Sam to haul her up.

“I’ll tell you why,” Kim says, smirking. “They couldn’t decide what a meatloaf was, and Sam ended up doing the whole thing himself.”

“It’s scary how accurate that was,” Sam snarks.

“No way, I was helping!” Paul argues. Jared quirks an eyebrow.

“You were _mixing,”_ Jared counters. Kim laughs, leaning in Jared’s side. Automatically, he loops an arm around her shoulders, quietly marveling at how neatly her fits against him. Everyone heads into the kitchen, Emily in the lead. She flashes a smile, presses a kiss to Sam’s cheek, tells him how good everything looks.

“And what did you do?” Kim asks Jared, a teasing smile on her lips. Jared pretends to pout.

“I set the timer!”

“How helpful of you,” she says, unimpressed. Emily doles out portions, making sure she and Kim get enough before letting the wolves descend, literally.

Emily and Kim share a look, a silent conversation passing between them. A feeling of deep contentment settles over him. Kim fits here, with him, in this life. She belongs in this pack.

He’s going to tell her, he decides. He’s going to be completely honest with her, let her in completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim sits in Em’s kitchen, watching her mix up the batter for muffins. She hums quietly, spraying cooking oil into the muffin tins. Kim’s supposed to be doing her homework, waiting for the boys to come back from their volunteering job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot's really starting to heat up in this, so enjoy!

Kim sits in Em’s kitchen, watching her mix up the batter for muffins. She hums quietly, spraying cooking oil into the muffin tins. Kim’s supposed to be doing her homework, waiting for the boys to come back from their volunteering job.

“Hey Em,” she says, setting her pencil aside.

“Yeah? What’s up? Although if it’s a homework question, Jared says you’re way too smart for me to help,” Em teases, setting aside her muffin mix.

“I just… are you happy?” Kim asks, Em stares at her in confusion, coming to sit by her.

“Yeah, of course, honey! Why, what’s up?” Kim shrugs, ducking down embarrassed.

“No reason, I just, I mean when I think about love, I think about you and Sam, you know.” Kim frowns thoughtfully. “It makes me think about Jared, you know.”

Emily looks at her knowingly, reaching over to squeeze her hand.

“You ever tell Jared any of this?” She asks, bumping playfully into Kim’s shoulder.

“No! You can’t just blurt out that you love your boyfriend! There are rules aren’t there?”

“Why? What’s the point of bottling up how you feel, because of some dumb, arbitrary rules society made up to ruin our lives?”

“Well, I guess I never thought of it like that,” Kim agrees reluctantly. “When did you tell Sam you loved him?” Now it’s Emily’s turn to blush.

“Two months after he told me,” she admits, laughing a little. Kim raises her eyebrows, surprised.

“Geez, I have to hear about this!” Emily drops her eyes, uncomfortable. “Or not?”

“I just, it’s really nothing, honestly, it was such a mess,” Emily trails off, sighing.

“So, did it go okay? What did he say?” Emily looks at her critically, then smiles.

“Yeah, sweetie, it did.” With that Kim feels much lighter. She’s been in love with Jared for a while now, and their relationship is going fantastically, better than she could ever hope for.

The next morning, she and Laura hang out by her locker before class.

“So, lover-girl, where the hell have you been the last few days, I’ve hardly seen you!” Laura says, touching up her lip gloss in Kim’s magnetic mirror.

“I’ve been hanging out with Jared,” she answers, unable to help the little smile that crosses her face. Laura smirks.

“I gathered that. So, things are good? You’re happy?” Kim beams at her. She’s definitely going to tell Jared today, she’s practically bursting with it. Laura laughs, bumps their shoulders together.

“I’ll see you at lunch!” Kim heads to calculus, mulling over how she’s going to tell Jared. Should she do something romantic? Can she just say it to him?

Jared’s already waiting for her in class, fiddling with his hands. He looks nervous.

“Hey, everything okay?” she asks, sliding into her seat. Jared startles, smiling at her sheepishly.

“Yeah, sure. Hey, what’re you doing tonight?” he asks, swiveling to face her. Kim laughs.

“You know, I was just about to ask you the same thing,” she says. “Let’s go get a milkshake.” Plans in place, they focus on the class, where Mr. Callum is already scrawling on the board.

Lunch is pretty uneventful, the four of them, Kim, Laura, Jared, and Paul, all sitting together. They get weird looks, like always. Finally, though, the school day finishes and Jared and Kim pile into his truck, heading out for the pier. Jared drums his fingers on the steering wheel, jittery as can be. Kim alternating between looking at him and staring out the window.

They get their milkshakes in relative silence, a worrisome pit forming in Kim’s stomach. She peeks at Jared, but he looks straight ahead. His hands shake slightly.

“Jare?” she asks. He glances at her quickly, a manic smile on his face. The worrisome feeling threatens to turn to panic. “Jared?”

“Look.” He stops abruptly, settles his hands on Kim’s shoulders. “You trust me, don’t you? You know I’d never hurt you.”

“I…” She’s got no idea what to say now. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Okay,” he says, bobbing his head. “Okay, yeah, let’s gets to Sam’s.”

“What?” Without replying, Jared gently tugs Kim back to the car, his own milkshake dangling, forgotten, in his fingers.

The drive over is a very strange sort of quiet, but Kim’s not even sure what to be worried about. She trusts Jared, of course, but when someone asks you if you trust them, you tend to worry. Jared drives a little fast, parking haphazardly in the driveway. Sam pokes his head out, frown cemented on his face.

“What, now?” he asks, Jared hops out of the truck, bobbing his head frantically. He begins to tremble.

“Jared?” Kim tries again, climbing out after him.

Then, the strangest thing happens.

Jared begins to yank off his clothes, stripping down to his boxers. Kim gasps sharply, a hot blush taking over her face. It’s not like she’s never seen him shirtless, what with the weather warming up, but an impromptu strip show is beyond her.

“Not here, you asshole!” Sam hisses, yanking Jared into the tree line. He looks back at Kim with a pained expression, gesturing for her to follow. She’s not sure what possesses her to do so, but she does, keeping a little distance between them. Emily comes out to wait on the porch, frowning.

“Kim? Look, I know this all seems crazy, but I swear this’ll all make sense,” Jared says. Kim averts her eyes— _he’s naked—_ and says nothing. A warm hand comes to rest on her shoulder and she jumps. It’s Sam, grimacing.

“It’s going to be fine,” he says, like he’s absolutely sure. It’s comforting to know that at least someone knows what going on.

“Kim, you remember when we were in elementary school? All the assemblies about our tribal heritage?” Jared’s voice shakes. Kim nods quickly. The feeling of panic in her stomach turns to anticipation. It’s almost as if she knows what’s coming next.

“You remember the stories? About the wolves? The warriors?” Jared’s voice begins to shake even worse. Out of some sick sense of curiosity, she looks up. Jared’s doubled over, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. He smiles though. She wants to laugh, ask that they stop whatever elaborate joke this is, but she can feel something deep in her bones. 

“Yes,” she whispers. Jared groans, dropping to his knees. Suddenly, Kim remembers that day in the forest with her brother, strange brown eyes that seemed so familiar.

Sam grips her shoulder a little tighter, taking a half step in front of her.

“He won’t hurt me,” Kim says suddenly. She doesn’t know how she knows it, but it’s true. It doesn’t matter what’s going to happen next, Jared is still going to be Jared. Sam smiles a little ruefully.

“I hope so too,” he says. “You, uh, might want to look away. This next part’s not so pretty on slow-mo.”

Kim can’t, though. She can’t take her eyes off him, the way his frame changes, how the bones under his skin shift. Her breathing goes shallow, and all the world boils down to this strange metamorphosis.

Kim lets out a shaky exhale, and suddenly, there’s a huge wolf before her, eyes so familiar she knows it’s Jared. She steps out from behind Sam, hand outstretched. Jared moves closer, pressing his nose to her palm.

“It’s you,” she says softly. It’s as familiar as touching his face at school, or at Emily’s table, or anywhere else. It’s just Jared. She barely registers Sam hovering in the background. Kim slides her hand up to stroke the soft brown fur. It’s the color of the earth after a rainfall, fresh and lush.

“Hey,” she says, a little louder, fonder. “Jared.” The wolf starts to tremble, so Kim steps back, allowing him space. Then, Jared’s back, the form she knows. She notices that he’s still naked—dear god—and flushes, keeping her eyes on the trees.

“So?” he asks, voice rough.

“Maybe once you got pants on?” Jared laughs a little wildly, jogging ahead. Sam gestures for her to wait.

“You were surprisingly cool,” he says conversationally. “No screaming or running in fear.” Kim shrugs.

“I don’t know, I could just feel,” she peters off, unsure how to phase it. “it’s stupid.”

“Your boyfriend just turned into a giant wolf in front of you, nothing you think is going to be stupid.”

“Can you do that too?” she asks, changing the subject. Sam quirks an eyebrow.

“I’ll explain everything inside.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, the secret is out! Tune in next week for more pack and Kared fluff! Let me know what you thought!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Jared could, he’d scream from the rooftops about how cool his girlfriend is. They’re sitting at Emily’s table, waiting for Sam to start explaining. Emily stands at the counter, plating some cookies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter than usual, yes, but we’re setting ourselves up for some plot and conflict, and me basically writing an essay about imprinting and the rampant nonsense that goes on in smeyer’s brain

If Jared could, he’d scream from the rooftops about how cool his girlfriend is. They’re sitting at Emily’s table, waiting for Sam to start explaining. Emily stands at the counter, plating some cookies.

Kim holds one of his hands, playing with his fingers, brow furrowed. He’s so blissed out right now.

“Okay, so, Paul’s busy, which is code for asleep,” Sam says, sitting to join them. “I’m just going to start.” He takes a deep breath and Kim’s hand stills, fingers lacing with his.

“All those legends you learned about in school are all true,” Sam starts, scrubbing a hand over his face. Emily joins them, setting the plate down and settling in Sam’s lap. “The whole spirit realm and warriors turning into wolves thing, I mean. It’s a… genetic thing, passed down from father to son, with all the original members of our tribe. There are twenty different lines, but right now, it’s just me, Jared, and Paul.”

Kim’s got this adorable look of concentration on her face, so Jared wouldn’t be all that surprised if she pulled out a notebook to take notes in. Her grip tightens slightly, nails pressing gently against his knuckles.

“You remember the bad guys in the stories?” Sam asks. Kim nods at once.

“Cold ones,” she answers. “I never got what that was exactly. Was it some kind of euphemism?”

“Nope,” Emily says tartly. “All literal.” Kim laughs just once, a short hysterical sound. Jared’s smile drops in an instant. She must be freaking out on the inside.

“What,” she questions, dropping her voice. “Vampires?” Sam nods somberly.

“You’re telling me vampires are real and they live in La Push?” she asks, her voice a little weaker.

“Vampires are real,” Sam affirms. Jared remembers how he felt that first day when Sam explained everything to him, shocked and waiting for the punchline. “But they don’t live in La Push. That’s the point of having wolves, to protect our people.”

“Well, where do they live?” Kim’s free hand moves up to her hair, patting down her already immaculate ponytail.

“Forks,” Jared supplies. He moves a little closer, pulling Kim close. She melts against his side and instantly the wolf is awake, vigilant for what’s putting his imprint at unease.

“What really?” she asks, surprised. “Real, live vampires?”

“Well, ‘live vampires’ is sort of an oxymoron,” Sam jokes, but it’s halfhearted. “Look, nothing’s going to come into these lands, alright? We’re all perfectly safe.”

“But you guys aren’t,” Kim protests. Emily beams at her, proud. “Who’s protecting the three of you?”

Jared presses a kiss to Kim’s temple, snickering quietly.

“We don’t need protection, we’re pretty badass,” he tells her proudly. Still, the wolf preens at the idea that his mate is ready to fight for him, that she’s so concerned for his safety.

“We’re faster than they are, we’re stronger than they are, and we travel in packs,” Sam lists. “We’re pretty safe.”

“Doesn’t stop me from worrying every time you go on patrol,” Emily says, draining her coffee. “But hey, now I have someone to wait up with.”

“Patrol? How do you get time with your jo— _oh!”_ His girl’s so smart, Jared thinks with pride.

“Yeah, we get paid in muffins,” he jokes. That pulls a little smile onto Kim’s face.

“It’d be nice to have someone to wait with,” Kim says. “But I can’t leave my brother alone for that long. He’d burn the house down or something.”

Emily laughs, getting up put her coffee cup in the dishwasher. Before she can answer though, the door bangs open, Paul bursting through.

“Did I miss it? Did she run screaming?” He asks, looking far too excited. Kim pokes her head over Jared’s arm to frown at Paul.

“Nope,” she says, popping the p. “Still here.” Paul appraises her for a moment and grins.

“Knew you were a badass,” he says, dropping into the empty seat and promptly stuffing his face with cookies. Kim leans her head against Jared’s shoulder and smiles.

“I’m part of the club now,” she says.

“They tell you about the leeches?” Paul asks once he swallows.

“The vampires in Forks? Yeah. What are they even doing there anyways?” she asks. Jared shrugs, turning to Sam.

“Yeah, I wondered the same thing. We’re always out there watching for them but we don’t ever see them,” he says.

“I think they’re enrolled in Forks High School, apart from Dr. Leech,” Sam explains. “Besides, they’re supposed to be pretty good about respecting the treaty.”

“What treaty?” Kim asks, taking a cookie to nibble on. Jared gets momentarily distracted by how cute she looks.

“The Cullen’s have been living here on and off for a while. Last time, sometime in the 60’s or something, they signed a treaty with my grandfather and some other members of the pack. They’re allowed in Forks as long as no harm comes to the humans and they don’t pass the borders.”

“The 60’s! How old are they?” Kim exclaims. Jared laughs for real.

“Like, a bajillion,” he answers. Sam chuckles under his breath.

“Not that old, but old enough to be unnatural,” he answers. “They stay on their side of the border and don’t feed from the humans.” Kim asks a few more questions after that, about the more logistic side of being a wolf. Jared still can’t believe how cool his girlfriend is.

A warm sense of contentment fills him, deep and all the way over his body, from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes. Kim fits in effortlessly into his life, like she was made to be there. Jared can only hope she feels even a fraction of what he feels in that moment.

It occurs to him later, when he’s dropping Kim off, they never even told her about the imprinting stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week’s chapter will make things better, content-wise, I think, but fair warning, those author’s notes are going to be long, so feel free to skip them. Let me know what you thought!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim’s boyfriend can turn into a giant wolf on command. She mulls over this development on the car ride home, watching him from the passenger seat. He seems completely normal, not like there’s this huge, looming secret hanging over his head. He catches her watching and grins when she blushes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello gang! We’re getting more things out into the open! Enjoy!

Kim’s boyfriend can turn into a giant wolf on command. She mulls over this development on the car ride home, watching him from the passenger seat. He seems completely normal, not like there’s this huge, looming secret hanging over his head. He catches her watching and grins when she blushes.

“What’s going on in your head?” he asks, a faux calmness settling over his features. Instantly, Kim wants to smooth away the stress. She puts a hand on his shoulder, marveling at the warmth there.

“Is the heat a wolf thing?” she asks. Jared nods, taking her hand and holding it. She’s a little worried about him only having one hand on the steering wheel, but they’re only a few minutes from her house.

“Yeah, wolves run hotter than people. It’s how this whole thing started actually. I ran this crazy fever and like, 12 hours later, exploded into a wolf,” he says.

“Crazy,” she mumbles, lacing her fingers through his. They pull up to her driveway and Jared cuts the engine, the two of them sitting in silence for a moment. Kim can see her brother and her mom peeking through the living room windows at them.

“Jared,” Kim starts, feeling suddenly brave. “I love you.”

For a moment Jared doesn’t say anything, just stares at her. Kim’s confidence drops by the second.

“You… _what?”_ he asks, looking incredulous.

“I love you,” she repeats, a pinch louder. “A lot. And I really wanted to tell you for a little while now, then you told me this big life altering secret, and I thought that maybe that meant that liked me a lot too, and trusted me—”

Kim’s cut off with a firm kiss, Jared’s strong hands coming up to cup her face. The kiss deepens, his tongue slipping into her mouth and Kim’s brain short circuits. Kissing Jared, especially like this, is something she’ll never get used to.

He pulls apart with a sigh, just far enough to look her in the eye.

“You love me?” he asks, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones.

“Yeah,” Kim whispers, suddenly robbed of speech. “A lot.”

Jared kisses her again, softer this time, lingering longer. When they pull apart again, he beams at her.

“I love you too,” he says. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

This time, Kim kisses him, looping an arm around his neck and pressing closer. Jared’s arms wrap around her waist, and Kim can’t remember a time when she felt so warm and secure.

“I have something else to tell you,” he whispers in between kisses.

“What?” Kim asks, distracted. Jared’s moved onto her neck, peppering soft little kisses all over so it feels like she’s catching fire, without any of the pain.

“There’s one more thing about being a wolf,” he says, pulling away. Kim presses her fingers to her overheated cheeks, ready to listen.

“It’s called imprinting,” he starts slowly. “It’s like finding the one person you’re supposed to be with, like you’re drawn to them. You just become whatever they need you to become. Sam said it was for like, genetic insurance or something.”

Just like that the magic moment’s ruined. Kim leans all the way back into her seat, drawing her knees up to her chest. Her stomach drops and a hollow, cold feeling creeps into her chest.

“So,” she says, struggling with the words. “None of this is real?”

“What? Of course, it’s real! What’re you talking about?” Jared asks, voice bordering on hysteric. Kim levels him with a look and he quiets.

“Everything you feel about me is a product of this imprinting thing, right? Like you don’t actually have a say in what you feel?”

“That’s not fair,” Jared protests, frowning at her. “I love you.”

“I know you think you do,” Kim replies, dropping her head to rest against her knees. “Look, if you’d met me without the wolf thing, do you think we’d still be here?”

Jared hesitates before saying yes, but that’s all Kim needs. She won’t force him into a relationship he might not want to be a part of, no matter what spiritually mumbo-jumbo dictates him.

She gets out of the car despite his protests and hurries inside. There, she ushers her family away from the windows before rushing upstairs, fleeing into the safety of her room. Jared’s car is still in the driveway, she notices, peeking through her blinds. Luckily, her room is still dark, so she’s pretty sure she won’t be seen. After a few more minutes, the truck rumbles away and Kim flops onto the bed.

There’s a soft knock on the door, but Kim has no patience for her mother’s comfort right now.

“Go away!” she calls, burying her face into the pillows. The knocking persists until finally Kim wrenches open the door. To her surprise, it’s Eric, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

“Mom’s on the phone right now, but I wanted to just…” he trails off, looking anywhere but her. “I know his nephew, you know. Me and the guys could go egg his car or something, or TP his house.”

“What?” Kim asks, confused. Eric looks up this time, a hard look in his eyes.

“Jared. I could make Parker take me to his car and I could egg it or something. And Parker and his mom still live at home, so his address is still in my school directory. I could go TP the house,” he explains. Suddenly, Kim launch’s herself at her brother, hugging him tight. Eric tries not to struggle, finally going limp until Kim lets him go.

“You alright?” he asks, coming in and sitting at her desk. Kim shrugs, taking a seat on her bed.

“I don’t know, Eric. It feels like everything should be working out perfectly, but I know it’s all fake, you know, and even if Jared wants to live in his fantasy world where this is all his choice I can’t, because it’s all forced, you know?” Eric stares at his sister, more than a little confused.

“Uh, that made like, no sense,” he says.

“I know! That’s the problem! All of this is so screwy!” Kim laments, falling face down into her pillow once again.

“Man! If this is what being in a relationship is, then I don’t ever want a girlfriend,” he mutters. Still, he comes to sit next to Kim, patting her hip awkwardly.

“I’d say everything is going to be fine, but that’s lame,” he says. “I’m not ever going to repeat this, but you’re really cool. And if Jared’s too stupid to see that himself, then he’s a loser and you don’t need him.”

Kim wriggles until she can put her head in Eric lap, squeezing his skinny waist. He grimaces, but lets the comforting embrace happen. It’s then that their mother walks in, cooing at how cute they are. That seems to be the final straw, because Eric shoves Kim off his lap and runs out of the room, embarrassed.

“You alright?” Donna takes Eric’s place, stroking her hair.

“I’ll be alright,” she mumbles. Talking to Eric really did make her feel better.

“Of course, you will, sweetheart,” Donna assures her, pressing a kiss to Kim’s head. The weird thing is Kim believes her. There’s a part of her that promises her things will be fine in the morning, when she can go and talk to Jared again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to frank discussions about imprinting and agency, which will spill into next chapter. Let me know what you thought!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To say Jared is panicking is a gross understatement.   
> Emotional whiplash doesn’t even begin to cover what he’s going through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, the conflict’s not going to last long because we’re growing as character, yo! Anyways, enjoy!

To say Jared is panicking is a gross understatement.

Emotional whiplash doesn’t even begin to cover what he’s going through.

He watches as Kim rushes upstairs, listens to the pounding footsteps. She pauses in the dark of her room, looking at his truck. Waiting for him to go, he realizes.

That’s when the shaking starts.

He drives as carefully as he can manage, making it all the way to the closest tree line, before throwing the car door open and bursting into a wolf right there, in the cab of his truck, in public. He hasn’t spazzed out like that since he first turned.

He struggles out of the car, claws against the seats, stuffing spilling out and sticking to his fur. He leaps out and flat out sprints into the woods, leaving woodland rubble in his wake. The wolf begs him to turn around, go back to his mate, and convince her, but the rational part of Jared’s brain—what’s left of it anyways—decides that would just make things worse.

_Jared!_

_What happened?_

Paul and Sam are hot on his trails and suddenly, the feeling of claustrophobia burst into his chest, pushing his to move faster, run harder, do whatever it takes to get out. He can’t help but think about Kim’s expression, the hurt there and the guilt.

_Shit, Jared, slow down!_

_You’re headed straight for Forks. **Stop.**_

Jared fumbles, buckling under the weight of Sam’s alpha command. His body moves against his will and he’s forced on his belly, snarling and squirming. Kim’s words swim through his mind, phrases like “not real” and forced”.

Sam paces around him anxiously. He’s not exactly used to giving commands like that, not often, and he feels the weight just like they do, in the form of guilt.

_Just, wait a minute, please._

Jared huffs and pulls himself up, panting. His head still dips against his will, a product of Sam’s presence, a reminder that the wolf and he are still separate.

A look of concentration passes over Sam’s face, an odd expression for a wolf, and suddenly the pressure eases. Jared’s pulled back into his body again, given control of himself.

_I hate this._

Neither Paul nor Sam respond, but Paul comes to sit by Jared’s side, a silent show of solidarity.

_Show me what happened, slow so I can understand._

Jared obliges, letting the memory play out. Paul whines sympathetically, settling on the forest floor. Sam paces a bit, his own mind jumbled. Flashes of Emily come into view, her far-away expression when she doesn’t know Sam’s watching, the bittersweet taste of an errant kiss.

_That’s not all the way right._

_I think Kim had a good point. That’s why I don’t want to imprint. Why give up all my control for some girl?_

Paul, asshole that he is, has a point. Jared thinks about the past few months, about Kim and her smile, the light in her eyes and the warmth in her smile. Eyelashes that go on forever and wit to match. Is this what losing control feels like?

_No, losing control is this._

Paul plays a memory from last week, clutching his desk in English class, fighting back the wolf, an invader in his body. Jared feels the ripping apart of a human conscious, the human hanging on by shred, reduced to claws and fangs and anger.

Being with Kim feels like the opposite of that.

Being with Kim is feeling more human than he has in months. Being with Kim is finding a balance, not wolf versus human, but wolf _and_ human, spirit and soul merged into one. Being with Kim is warmth and kindness. It’s not easy, at times, pushing through their combined insecurities, but breaking apart those walls leave him more content than anything.

There’s nothing forced about it.

_Think about it. The imprinting led you to Kim, makes you be what she needs. Does she need some idiot head over heels for her?_

_No._

_Right, so what does she need?_

It’s a loaded question, one that asks Jared to unravel their relationship to the core, but as he thinks, the imprinting isn’t about his relationship with her at all.

_She wants to feel strong. Comfortable in herself._

_You do that for her, don’t you? Give her space to do that?_

_I fucking hope so. All this emotional bullshit is grating on my nerves._

Sam snarls at Paul, but Jared understands. She doesn’t need a boyfriend, she needs someone on her side, someone to reminder that she has a voice, that her opinions are worth hearing, that she is someone worth putting out into the world.

The realization feels too heavy and too precious for a seventeen-year-old to come by, but this goes deeper than a high school romance. This is cosmic, two souls coming together just when they need each other the most.

_Let’s go back. I’ll talk to Kim tomorrow, explain some of this to her._

_I smell a pot roast._

_Why is that you only have heightened senses when it comes to food?_

_A growing boy needs to eat!_

_The only growing you do is horizontal, Paul._

Jared neatly dodges the ensuing wrestling match, laughing at how effortlessly Sam can lay into Paul, knocking him flat in a minute. There’s no weight hanging above them right now, just three wolves caught up in themselves and the moment.

It’s pretty perfect, if you go for that emotional, sappy bullshit.

_Smell you losers later!_

Jared takes off, tongue lolling. He’s the fucking champ of emotional whiplash. The mad dash to Emily’s pot roast doesn’t take long, but he stops short when he realizes he totaled his clothes. 

Sam, who has the uncanny ability to go from wise mentor to immature asshole, laughs for a solid few minutes, and only brings clothes out at Emily’s insistence. Something about refusing to have nudity where she cooks.

Jared takes the offered sweatpants between his teeth and trots back into the tree line. While he’s cool with changing in front of the pack, changing where Emily could potentially see his dick isn’t ideal. It would feel like disappointing your mom, or something.

Vaguely, he hears a phone ring, a ringtone similar to his, and he curses. He forgot about the truck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, yeah, so RIP to Jared’s truck, but all’s fair in love and war. Anyways, let me know what you thought!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim seriously considers not going to school the next morning, but she likes to think of herself as someone who wouldn’t let a boy hinder her academic success. Even if the boy is the love of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Kim seriously considers not going to school the next morning, but she likes to think of herself as someone who wouldn’t let a boy hinder her academic success. Even if the boy is the love of her life.

She can’t believe her life right now. Just when everything felt perfect, fate deemed it time to rip the rug out from under her feet. Jared only loves her because of some weird mystical bond. He can turn into a giant wolf. Vampires exist outside of cheesy, B-list horror movies.

Kim sits in her car early the next morning, working on some homework when she hears a knocking on her window. She jumps to find Laura, waving far too animatedly for seven AM in the morning. Kim unlocks her door; they have thirty minutes before first period. The only reason she’s here this early was because Eric had some meeting with a teacher and needed a ride.

“Hey girly! What’re you up to this weekend?” She asks, pulling down a mirror to fix her makeup.

“Um, not much, I guess.” Kim stows her homework, knowing she wasn’t going to get it done if Laura had her attention.

“No plans with Jare-bear?” Laura’s the only one who calls him that, much to his mortification.

“I guess not,” Kim says, thinking back to their last meeting.

“You guess? Or you know?” Laura asks, raising an eyebrow. Kim relents, telling her about the not-fight as vaguely as possible.

“So, wait,” Laura says finally. “You think he doesn’t actually want to go out with you?”

“I mean, I guess? This whole situation is so weird. It feels like a lot for a high school relationship,” Kim confesses. She doesn’t like to complain, not really, because it’s a damn miracle she has a boyfriend in the first place. Still, she’s feels so overwhelmed with it all. How can she be someone’s “the one”?

“Girl, the way you guys look at each other. It’s not just a high school relationship,” Laura assures her. “Come on, I still have some homework left over, let’s go do it in homeroom.”

With that, the girls are off. Homeroom is quick, as always, but Kim manages to get her homework done. She takes a few breaths to ready herself to face Jared.

“You got this, just be honest,” Laura advises her. She fantastic at last-minute pep talks, Kim loves having her as a best friend.

In calculus, Kim takes her normal seat, waiting for Jared to show. Just as she begins to worry, he rushes in the door, offering quick apologies for his near tardiness. He looks at her and smiles ruefully.

Unfortunately, he came in too late to talk before class, but Kim thinks she could get him for lunch or something. As per usual, he waits for to finish packing up.

“Can I talk to you—”

“Kim, I need to talk to you—”

The two break off laughing, feeling lighter.

“We need to talk, huh?” she teases. Jared chuckles, dipping his head.

“Let’s meet for lunch,” he says. “Come to the library, there won’t be anyone there.”

“Sounds good,” Kim agrees. In a moment of bravery, she rocks up on her tiptoes and presses a quick peck to his cheek before hurrying off to class.

The rest of her classes pass pretty easily, now that she knows things as generally good with her and Jared. She tells Laura the plan during their shared chemistry class, and Laura loans her a lip gloss, “just in case.”

When lunch rolls around, Kim has a pretty good idea of what she’s going to say. If things work out, they’ll slow down to a reasonable pace, where Kim isn’t drowning in cosmically aligned love. If not, they can always be friends.

She arrives at the library, bagged lunch in hand (pre-traded with Laura) and the lightest sheen of lip gloss. Jared waits for her, tray heavy with pretty much everything the cafeteria was offering that day.

“Hey,” he says, grinning at her. Even though his hands are full, he hurries to get the door for her. Kim swallows, surprisingly touched at such a small gesture. They find a table near the back of the library. Technically, they’re not allowed to eat in the library, but Mrs. Keeney, the librarian, doesn’t mind so long as everything’s cleaned up after.

They don’t talk for the first few minutes, while Jared inhales his food. Kim picks at her, mulling over the words in her head.

“So,” Jared starts, pushing aside his demolished tray. “I didn’t explain the whole imprinting thing right.”

“Oh?” Kim asks, gesturing for him to continue.

“It’s not some crazy force that makes me do anything,” Jared says. “I’m still me. My thoughts, the way I feel, that’s all me.”

“So, why the imprint?” Kim asks, popping a carrot stick in her mouth.

“Sam says it’s for genetic insurance,” he says. “But that’s bullshit. I don’t know what it’s for, really, but it’s a lot more than just ensuring the line.”

Kim is silent for a minute, taking a few more bites. That’s not exactly the abstract answer she was after, but it’s something. Jared looks earnest, like he desperately needs her to understand. She wants to, _god,_ does she want to.

“So, why me?” Kim asks, unable to help her insecurity slipping out. “I mean, why us?”

“I don’t know,” Jared says truthfully. “All I know is that you make me a better person. I care about real stuff, not just dumb shit, you know? And I make you a better person, too. You’re more outspoken now, more relaxed.”

He’s right, Kim realizes with a start. She hadn’t noticed the way she’d changed, but she has. Of course, just being with Jared didn’t magically give her more confidence, but the way he listened to her, the way he respected her did.

“Now what?” Kim asks. “Do we just ignore the imprint thing? Go back to the way things were? I don’t know if I can do that, Jared. I love you, but this feels like a lot.”

“I get that,” Jared assures her quickly. “Seriously, if you just want to be friends again that’s cool, but I just need you to know that I love you, for real. No wolf stuff involved, just me.”

A lump lodges itself in her throat and her eyes start to burn, but she’s happy, so relieved that her entire body feels lighter. She clears her throat carefully, swallowing hard.

“I don’t want to stop being together,” she admits, voice soft. Jared leans in closer, heat rolling off him in waves. Kim takes comfort in it. “Maybe we can go slower?”

“Slow is cool,” Jared says, a genuine smile spreading across his face.

“Yeah,” Kim echoes. “Slow is cool.” For a moment, all they can do is stare at each other, drinking in the image of the person they love so deeply. Jared is one of the most important people in her life, and it would wrench her to pieces if she lost him. She’s so grateful he loves her enough to respect her wishes.

“So, uh,” Jared starts, breaking the moment. “What exactly does slow mean?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we move on to the next phase in their relationship! And, if anyone is keeping track of the timeline, we’re headed into the end of the year and summer. See you next time!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slow, it turns out, means things are pretty much normal, save for Jared being allowed to tell her how he feels.   
> Well.   
> That’s not entirely fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang! We’re getting a little into the wolves today, so enjoy!

Slow, it turns out, means things are pretty much normal, save for Jared being allowed to tell her how he feels.

Well.

That’s not entirely fair.

Mostly, Kim had asked him to keep a lid on the imprint thing, and maybe ease up on the soulmates thing while he was at it. Jared got it; it was a lot for a high school relationship. Still, that didn’t mean he was sort of bummed out about it.

Right now, he’s sitting at Sam and Emily’s dining table, watching Kim study for their upcoming finals. He would join, but finals are an entire month away. He figures he has plenty of time to figure shit out by then.

“Jared,” Kim says finally, looking up from her work with an amused smile. “If you’re not going to study, you should at least do some homework.”

“I’m caught up,” he says mock-defensively. It’s the truth. Part of being Kim’s boyfriend means always being caught up on homework. Kim rolls her eyes, pointedly tapping her English textbook.

“I’m caught up on everything due tomorrow,” he amends. Kim laughs, and Jared’s momentarily blindsided by how much he _loves_ that sound.

“Yeah, whatever,” she giggles. “Hey, listen, I know you’ve already met them and everything, but my mom wants you to come over for dinner, maybe with your family too.”

“What?” Jared asks dumbly. “You want my family to come over to yours for dinner?”

Kim flushes, ducking her head so her long, silky hair falls in a curtain she can hide behind. Absently, Jared cups her face, stroking back the hair while he mulls this over. Parker, he could trust, but his mom and Carey? No way. They’d definitely do something to humiliate him.

“Is that too much, too soon?” Kim asks anxiously. “I know people do these things like one at a time, but I figured, what if we just did it, you know? Like got all that awkward family stuff out of the way right now.”

He’s a little surprised, and a little proud. The old Kim, the one that hid in the back of classrooms and never spoke up would’ve never have just faced all this awkwardness head on. The new Kim, friendly-and-open-to-everyone, always-speaks-her-mind Kim is clearly ready to face a new challenge.

“No, I think you’re right,” he says. “We should just do it, get our whole family to meet, and that way, we don’t have to do separate, painfully awkward dinners later on.”

“Exactly!” Kim echoes, perking up. “Okay, come on, I know you have an essay due at the end of the week and the least you can do is work on an outline.”

With that, he and Kim work on schoolwork for a while, then help Emily get food on the table before patrol. They’re going out a little longer than usual tonight. One of the leeches got a little too close to the border last night while hunting, and Sam’s got it in his head that they’re going to try something.

For once, Jared has no objection to the extra work. The idea of those leeches getting anywhere near Kim, or his family, is too much to bear.

They scarf down their dinner and Emily promises to take Kim home after, but she insists on staying a little while to help clean up.

“Be safe, okay?” Kim tells him, effortlessly stepping into the circle of his arms. Her head comes to rest on his chest and she nuzzles a bit closer to him. “What are you telling your mom?”

“Tribal stuff,” she murmurs into her hair. She’s a fair bit shorter than him so he has to crouch, but he doesn’t mind. “She thinks it’s really cool I’m volunteering with the council.”

“Technically, you are,” she says. “In a way.” She pulls away slightly, before rocking up on her toes to kiss him. Jared lifts her so he doesn’t have to lean, deepening the kiss. God, he really could stay like this forever. Hell, if he died like this, he’d be a happy camper.

“No making out in my kitchen!” Emily says. Ironically, she’s got Sam wrapped around her like a goddamn blanket, so she’s really got no room to talk, but Jared grew up in a house of strong, fearsome women. Respecting female authority is ingrained in his DNA.

“No making out anywhere I can see you,” Paul grumbles darkly. “That goes for you too, Sam.”

“This is my house,” Sam reminds him. “Whatever, let’s go.”

They make their way into the woods, leaving the girls behind on the porch, watching them. Jared can hear Kim talking to Emily, asking if they’ll be alright if the leeches are around.

“That’s what they’re built for, honey,” Emily assures her. “Nothing is going to happen to them.”

_Focus!_

_Shit, sorry._

_What’s the plan, el capitan?_

_We’re going to run perimeters. Jared you go north to south and Paul goes east to west. I’m running a perimeter against Forks._

_Roger._

They disperse, each wolf going their own way. Jared focuses on his senses, feeling the earth shift and give beneath his paws, smelling the trees and the crisp air, watching for hikers or campers that could still be straggling.

His patrol takes him by the cliff and the beaches, but he’s careful to stay hidden in the trees, low to the ground and watchful. There’s nothing out of the ordinary, save for a few people on the beach, huddled around a dying fire. Jared doesn’t anticipate them being there that long.

He runs his route three times before Sam calls them back.

_Anything?_

_Nope, those leeches learned their fucking lesson._

Unconsciously, Sam thinks back on the memory. He’d been trying to cut their shifts, give them enough time for schoolwork but picking up the extra slack himself, and he’s come across a group of three of the Cullen clan a scant two miles outside the res.

It’s strange reliving a memory that isn’t yours. Jared’s both Sam and watching this from the outside.

The wolf spots the group, that acrid, bleach smell high in the air. It makes it way carefully towards them, watching for their movements. It clocks three, all male. The first is a burly, bear of a man. This one will be the most difficult to kill, the wolf decides. Easiest to go for it first. The second is small in build, but nearly equal in height. There’s something about the way it moves that implies practice. Not impossible to kill, but not easy, either. The third is slight. Thin, but tall, though not as tall as it’s companions. Herein lies the threat. Should the wolf take on the threats first, the small one could wriggle out of his paws. It looks fast.

“Stop!” the small one hisses, voice loud in the quiet clearing.

“Aww, fuck, Edward, you’re scaring away the animals!” the large one complains.

“Not all of them,” the last murmurs, turning to look at the wolf head on. The wolf growls, a warning low in his throat. He begins to move towards them.

“Where are we?” the smallest asks. “How close are we to the border?”

“Fuck! Carlisle’s going to flip his shit!” With that, they take off running, and the wolf gives chase, relishing in the way he gains on his prey.

“Edward, what does it want?”

“I… I can’t tell! It’s wavering, deciding to kill us or not.”

“I’d like to see it try,” the big one growls, and the wolf agrees. He’s aching for a fight. Somewhere deep within him, Sam pipes up, arguing that simply chasing the leeches away from the res will do, but the wolf snarls at him, forces him to give up his scant control. Sam is weak by himself, the human part a small slice of the wolf. Without his pack, he is a lonely hunter. A singular wolf intent on ripping its prey to pieces.

“Don’t!” the small one snarls. “We were too close to the reservation. We could’ve broken the treaty.”

“Besides, three on one is hardly an interesting fight,” the other drawls.

The wolf roars in indignation and the three rush past the border of their own territory. It’s all Sam needs to regain control.

Jared’s slammed back into his own body and he trashes for a second, boy and wolf grappling for control before finding a compromise.

_We’re clear. Everyone go home, get some rest. It’s safe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, some pack stuff and an awkward family dinner in the works! Tune in next week!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim starts feeling weird after dinner. Not a sick kind of a weird, just… weird. Mom’s hosting an all-night radio contest, and probably won’t be home until lunch time tomorrow, so she and Eric decided to eat on the couch for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang! Sorry, this is a little alter in the day than I normally post, but we're getting deeper into imprinting lore! Enjoy!

Kim starts feeling weird after dinner. Not a sick kind of a weird, just… weird. Mom’s hosting an all-night radio contest, and probably won’t be home until lunch time tomorrow, so she and Eric decided to eat on the couch for once.

They’re watching reruns of Becker and Kim hugs a pillow to her chest, trying to dispel the feeling. Eric gives her a weird look but doesn’t comment. Kim’s heart starts to thump and she curls in further on her herself.

She can’t tell what’s going on, maybe a heart attack? But that’s ridiculous, she’s too young for that, right? She gasps roughly, trying to breathe through her nose. Eric mutes the TV, looking at her with concern now.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asks. “Are you going to puke?”

“I don’t know,” she says, pulling herself back up. She feels cagey, almost trapped. For a moment she’s seized with the sudden desire to go for a run, which is strange in and of itself. She stands abruptly, shaking her head like a dog.

“What?” Eric asks, a little frantic, he’s on his feet too. “Are you going to spaz out? Jessica Worth’s grandma died like that, you know, spazzing out.”

“Jessica Worth’s grandmother had epilepsy,” she corrects him absently. She feels miles away from her living room, like her body and herself aren’t connected.

“Well do you?” he demands. “Can you catch it?”

“No,” she says faintly. “I’m… going to lay down for a while.”

“Okay,” he says suspiciously, settling back on the couch. “I’m going to be down here.”

“Don’t watch anything inappropriate,” she tells him in an attempt to sound normal. Kim sighs, running a hand through her hair. Her hearts still racing, and it’s harder to breath, like she’s working out or something. She’s never felt so strange in her life.

Upstairs, she settles under the covers, trying to keep still, but her heart is relentless and she squirms restlessly. She huffs, throwing back the comforter and dropping heavily into her desk chair. Her homework for the weekend is done, but there is a paper due next week, so she pulls out her English notebook, starting an outline.

Doing something helps, and if she focuses hard enough on the paper, she can push the weird feeling to the back of her mind. She works for an hour, finishing the outline and even going so far as to review her history flashcards.

She spins in her chair, hugging her knees tights. The feeling sinks into manageability, but she’s more aware than she’s ever been. She can hear the TV downstairs loud and clear, Eric’s ever laugh and snort. She can even smell the casserole they had for dinner, cooling in it’s pan on the counter.

There’s soft footsteps on the stairs, so Kim beats Eric to her door, pulling it open just as he’s steps onto the landing.

“I brought you water,” he says, handing over a cup.

“Thanks, E,” she says, going to hug him. He dodges neatly, clearly already too embarrassed by doing this single nice thing for her.

“You didn’t pass out or anything, did you?” he asks. “I tried the station office, but they didn’t answer.”

“It’s pretty late,” Kim reasons. “The only way we’re going to reach her is calling the show directly.”

“Is it… woman stuff?” Eric whispers, flushing deeply. Kim snickers, figuring this was as good a lie as any.

“Period stuff,” she says, and then, to make him wince. “Menstruation .”

“Okay!” he laughs nervously. “I’m going to let you handle that. I’m downstairs if you need me, but try not to need me.”

“Sure bud,” she says, hooking an elbow around his neck and touseling his hair before he can escape.

“Freak!” he hisses, thrashing to get out of her grasp. Kim shakes her head, smiling broadly. Being around Eric helped a little. She gulps down the water eagerly, deciding to take a shower.

Stepping into the warm water is relaxes all of her muscles, even lowers her heart rate a little. She scrubs down meticulously, even going so far as to rinse and repeat. She daydreams a little, thinking of the lush forest that lines the highway and La Push. Maybe she’ll go for a hike or something.

Suddenly, there’s a pounding and thumping sound, like someone ruinning up the stairs, but that’s too loud for it to be Eric. Kim cuts off the shower, drying off as quickly as she can. She trips over her sweatpants, catching herself on the counter. Kim stuffs herself into an old college sweatshirt of her mom’s.

“Jared, what’s your deal man?” Eric’s voice carries from the hallway. “What’re you doing here?”

“Where’s your sister? Where’s Kim?” Jared voice is a surprise, and she hurries to yank a hairbrush through her dripping locks, shaking them out to dry them as much as possible.

“She went to take a shower. I don’t think you should be here, though. You’re being, I don’t know, but it’s not cool. I’ll tell Kim you came by, but you need to wait for her to call before you come around.” That gives Kim pause. Eric and Jared get along. What did Jared do? She makes her way to her room to find Jared towering over Eric in a way that sets off her big sister instincts.

“What’s going on?” Kim’s voice has an instant effect and Jared sags, loosening up just like that. “Jared?”

“Oh, my god, you’re safe,” he gasps, hurrying over to wrap Kim in a tight hug. He breaths in the scent of her clean scent, the soft fragrance of her shampoo. Her wet hair is cold against his burning cheek.

“What do you want me to do, Kim?” Eric asks, wary. Jared turns to him, a little sheepish.

“Sorry, I was a little crazy, huh?” he asks. “Just, there was an emergency and I had to check that Kim was safe.” Ah, wolf stuff.

“It’s okay, E,” Kim says soothingly. “Just, give us a while, okay?”

“Well,” Eric struggles, frustrated. “Mom’s not here, and you know the rule about boyfriends—”

“There is no rule about boyfriends,” Kim corrects, a note of annoyance in her voice. Jared hides his face in her hair, and she can feel him smile.

“Well, that’s because you were too much of loser to have a boyfr—”

“I’ll give you five bucks to leave me alone and not tell mom,” Kim interrupts.

“Deal!” Eric agrees easily. Kim huffs, squirming out of Jared’s grasp to fish her wallet from her backpack. She hands over the bill, shooing her brother from the room.

“What happened?” she asks, serious now.

“Leeches,” Jared says, frowning. “They we’re two miles from the border. Two miles.”

“Is that close?” Kim asks. Two miles feels pretty far to her, but Jared nods. He drops heavily onto the bed, shifting to let Kim join him. For a moment, they sit together, Jared’s head in her lap while she strokes his hair.

“What happened with the vampires?” she whispers, trying to smooth the frown off his face.

“We caught three of them hunting right by the border so we chased them off,” he says. “It was crazy.”

“That sounds terrifying,” Kim says, shuddering at the thought of monsters being so close.

“It wasn’t, we could handle them, but I guess, I just had to know that you were okay,” he explains. “Just a weird feeling, I guess.”

“Wait, when did you run into them?” she asks, an idea popping into her head. Jared shrugs.

“Nah, Sam caught scent of them earlier so he called a patrol, like, two hours ago? Why what’s up?” he explains.

“I had a really weird feeling earlier,” she tells him. “Like my heart was racing and I was so restless.”

“Like a panic attack?” Jared asks. “Carey gets them sometimes.”

“No, it was more like I could sense something,” she elaborates. “Maybe I was sensing you?”

“That could make sense,” Jared says, sitting up. “I mean, I mostly thought the imprint bond was to keep you safe, like do what you needed.”

“I think it goes both ways,” Kim tells him. “I mean, I know it’s a lot—“

“It’s not,” Jared interrupts her quickly. “You can tell me anything.” Kim takes stock of his hopeful face, and his wide, love-struck eyes. She cups his face carefully.

“This goes both ways,” she repeats softly. “This bond between us just isn’t just for me. It’s for both of us. You take care of me and I take care of you, like equals.”

Jared kisses her, slow and purposeful. She gasps, returning the kiss with gusto. They stay like that for a while, trading kisses. Jared pulls away after a while, smiling softly at her.

“Slow, remember?” he teases. Kim flushes, having completely forgotten that.

“Right,” she agrees. “I should probably... I mean, Eric probably needs help with the dishes.”

“Sure,” he says. “I’m pretty sure I’m right up against my curfew so I need to get home, but what are you doing tomorrow?”

“Nothing,” she says. “Why, what did you want to do?”

“I thought maybe we could go to Sam and Emily’s and see if she feels the same thing as you,” Jared says. “Maybe we could figure out this imprint thing.”

“Sounds good,” Kim says. She walks him out, waving as he jogged home. She prayed that Emily and Sam knew more about this than they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared shows up at Kim’s after breakfast, intent on figuring this imprinting thing out. Kim stumbles out the front door, clearly having just woken up. She shoves her hair into a ponytail and climbs into the car, giving Jared a sleepy smile and kiss. Fuck, he loves her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this a bit earlier than expected, just because I’ve got tons of stuff to do tomorrow, but enjoy!

Jared shows up at Kim’s after breakfast, intent on figuring this imprinting thing out. Kim stumbles out the front door, clearly having just woken up. She shoves her hair into a ponytail and climbs into the car, giving Jared a sleepy smile and kiss. Fuck, he loves her.

They turn on her mom’s radio show, listening on the way to Sam’s place. Surprisingly, Paul’s car is here too, as well as Harry Clearwater’s. Jared frowns, hopping out of the car and jogging ot get the door for Kim. She always rolls her eyes and tells him she hates that, but he can tell she loves it.

“What’s going on?” she whispers as they head for the door. “Who are all those people?”

“Uh, tribal leaders, I think,” he mutters. “Come on.”

Emily lets them in the second they hit the porch, smiling brightly. Kim relaxes at her smile, and in turn, Jared does too.

“Hey, Em,” Kim says softly. “Hosting a party?”

“I guess the tribal leaders figured it was time for them to meet us imprints,” she whispers, winking. “Come on in.”

“Thanks,” Jared mutters, bypassing them for Sam. “Yo, what’s going on?”

“Hey,” he says. “Nothing, Harry and Billy stopped by to talk about some old traditions, I guess.”

“What traditions?” Kim asks, tucking herself under Jared’s arm. Across the room, Paul rolls his eyes, but smiles at her.

“Hey,” Harry says, extending a hand. Kim shakes it gingerly, smiling hesitantly. “I’m Harry Clearwater, one of the leaders.”

“I know,” she says shyly. “I’m Kim Conweller.”

“Billy Black,” he says, wheeling himself over to shake her hand too. “We were surprised to hear Jared had imprinted, or that imprinting was even real.”

“It’s not?” Paul asks, perking up.

“Clearly, it is,” Sam snarks at him, looping his arms around Emily. He drops his arms suddenly, looking at Harry, who’s grimacing at the sight of them. Right, Jared almost forgot, Sam used to date his daughter. Emily’s face is impassive, but her eyes are sad.

“Anyways,” Billy says awkwardly, trying to reign in everyone’s attention. “We were thinking of bringing the bonfire night back.”

“What’s that?” Jared asks.

“Just something for the pack, to tell out stories,” Billy explains. “Just you kids and us. I am, in fact, the keeper of our histories. We needed to run it by Sam first.”

“Me?” Sam says, losing his authoritative face for a second. Paul and Jared both snigger at his stupid surprised face until he levels them with a particularly vicious glare. “Fine. That’s fine by me.”

“Excellent,” Harry says. “Well, we’ll set it up, and let you kids know, alright? We have to get going. I, at least, have a day job.”

“Sure thing,” Sam agrees. “I’ll help you out.” With that, he pushes Billy out the door, helping them into Harry’s truck.

“Bonfire, huh?” Emily says. “Sounds exciting.”

“I’d love to hear the histories,” Kim says eagerly. Jared laughs, he loves when she gets all nerdy and excited about things. “Oh, hey! There was a reason we came by.”

“Yeah?” Emily says, grabbing a snack from the kitchen. “Feel free to get snacks, you guys.”

Jared makes a beeline for the kitchen, muscling Paul out of the way as he heads for Emily’s coveted cookie jar. Neither of them have time to dodge when Sam vaults his way over the both of them. Jared hits the tile floor with a crack, groaning as he pulls himself up just in time to see Sam heft the cookie jar high over Paul’s head.

“Stop antagonizing him!” Emily yells. “I don’t want any wolves in my kitchen, Sam, so help me god!” Sam ignores her intirely, cackling as he plays keep-away with an angry Paul. Jared shakes his head, torn between wanting cookies or listening to Emily’s and Kim’s conversation.

“Wait, you felt something?” Emily asks. Jared hurries back over to the table, intent on not missing anymore. “You sensed Jared? Can I do that?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Kim says. “Maybe you can? Or maybe, I’m just a freak.”

“Nah, that sounds like a wolf pack thing,” Sam interjects, brushing cookie crumbs off his shirt. Before he can say anything else, Paul throws himself at Sam, snarling and shaking.

“Fuck!” Jared gasps, grabbing at the first arm he can, which is thankfully Paul’s. He hauls him out, struggling under the weight of both Paul and Sam, who both refuse to stop fighting. It’s devolved into wrestling now, but there’s still a good chance Emily’s kitchen will be destroyed. In fact, Sam’s smirking now. Clearly, his adulting quota has run out.

They tumble into the forest, Paul bursting as soon as they have cover. Sam shifts too, engaging Paul until his anger lessens and his jabs become playful. Jared shakes his head, watching the pair.

He gets it though, he’s been in Sam’s head enough to know how the whole Leah-Emily-thing fucks with him. Harry may have accepted what happened, but that doesn’t mean he’s over it. Eventually, they cool off, shifting back. Sam shimmies back into his jeans, but Paul wrecked his. Jared cackles as Paul begs for one of them to get him pants.

Eventually, Sam caves and runs back into the house, grabbing a ratty pair of sweatpants. The three of them troop back into the house to find Emily and Kim in what looks like a particularly intense conversation.

“What’s up, guys?” Jared asks, sliding in beside Kim.

“I’ve felt what Kim has,” Emily explains. “Just once, when you phased, Jared. I guess it was the first time Sam was in real danger. I don’t know, I guess I’ve never felt it again.”

“Felt what?” Sam asks, walking in with a placated Paul.

“You,” Emily says. “When you’re in danger. Apparently, Kim felt it when you boys were taking on the Cullen’s.”

“So why didn’t you?” Paul asks, rooting around the kitchen for a consolation prize.

“I guess, maybe because Sam wasn’t in actual danger,” she speculates. “It was a three on three fight, right? And you guys are much stronger than them, right?”

“Fuck yeah,” Paul crows. “We could have ripped them limb from limb if we wanted to.”

“Either way, this imprint thing goes both ways,” Kim says, smiling sweetly at Jared. She’s right. Jared can feel the bond between them, bone deep and unbreakable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you thought!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the next few days, Kim focuses on finals, which she entirely forgot were coming up with everything going on. She and Laura drive up to their favorite café in Forks, holing up for hours at a time. Jared joins them sometimes, whenever he has a free night off from patrolling. Paul is almost never round, but he’s more concerned about the leech problem than he is about passing this year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter chapter, just because I’m figuring out where exactly I want things to go for this fic. Either way, enjoy!

For the next few days, Kim focuses on finals, which she entirely forgot were coming up with everything going on. She and Laura drive up to their favorite café in Forks, holing up for hours at a time. Jared joins them sometimes, whenever he has a free night off from patrolling. Paul is almost never round, but he’s more concerned about the leech problem than he is about passing this year.

The last week of junior year rolls around faster than any of them had anticipated, and before she knows it, Kim’s at her locker, cramming wildly for her first final of the season. Integrals and derivatives blur together until she has to slam her calculus book shut. She sighs, watching the clock in the hall.

“Hey.” Jared’s voice is a relief, and just like that, her muscles relax and she can’t help but smile. “Ready to kick ass?”

“Yeah, as I’ll ever be,” she says, rocking up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. Jared beams at her, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her nose lightly. “You?”

“Well, considering I had the best calc tutor in the world? I’m not worried about it,” he says. His confidence is infectious, and Kim tips her things into her backpack, swinging it up onto her shoulder.

“Let’s go ace that final,” Kim says, slipping her hand in his and interlacing their fingers.

Ninety minutes later, they amble out of the classroom a little fried, but not devasted, so Kim counts it as a win. She’s got two more finals today, and three the next day, which will wrap up the year. Kim can’t believe it’s gone by so quickly.

By the time school gets out, the four of them huddle together outside Jared’s car, trying to decide what to do. Paul’s nearly vibrating out of his skin, buzzing with excitement.

“Let’s go cliff diving!” Paul interjects for the second time. Apparently, it’s a pack favorite, and even thought Kim knows, Laura would have some real questions if they took her along. Sometimes, it really sucks that she can’t talk to her best friend about everything, but she knows the rules, and she won’t jeopardize Jared.

“What if we went down to the beach?” Kim suggests. Paul groans, but Jared shoots him a sharp look.

“There’ll be tourists everywhere,” Paul whines. “Come on, let’s do something actually fun.”

“What about Port Angeles?” Laura suggests.

“That’s a good idea! We can do a mini-road trip!” Kim gushes, looking hopefully up at Jared. He shares an uncertain look with Paul. Kim worries on her bottom lip. She understands if they can’t, that Sam will panic if his pack leaves, that Jared and Paul themselves will worry about leaving La Push unattended. “You know what, on second thought, let’s hang out at someone’s house. We can watch a movie, we can bake cookies.”

Paul slumps and Jared shakes his head sympathetically, but he smiles and nods at Kim.

“We can hang at my place,” Jared says. “My nephew might be around, but Kim, you can ask Eric over or something.”

Kim shrugs noncommittally, but promises she’ll ask. She and Laura hop in her car while Jared and Paul take the trucks. They stop off at her house, dropping their books off and trying to catch up with Eric before he runs off to do whatever middle school boys want to do.

Thankfully, she catches him on the couch, gorging himself on snacks and watch The O.C.

“Hey, what’re you up to right now?” she asks. “Oh, and Laura’s here.”

Immediately, Eric sits up, brushing the crumbs off himself and try to fix his hair. He goes cherry red, alternating between smiling at Laura and glaring at Kim, betrayal in his eyes. Kim bites down on her cheek, trying not to laugh.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Eric says, hurriedly turning off the TV.

“Want to come hang out with us at Jared’s?” Kim asks. “Parker’s going to be there.”

“No, I don’t want to come just to babysit Parker, come on,” he whines, slumping.

“Don’t be a baby,” Kim reprimands. “Parker’s nice!” He’s a little quiet, but all the times that she’s met him, Parker had been an absolute sweetheart, and Jared had been great with him.

“Okay,” Eric relents. “But I’m not going to just hang out with him, I want to hang out with you guys.”

“You both can hang out with us,” Laura concedes just before Kim is about to tell him to shove it. Laura’s always been sweet to him, so Kim can understand his little crush. Appeased, Eric hops up and eagerly follows them out, not even complaining about being relegated to the back seat.

Jared and Paul apparently had enough time to set up the X-box and start up a game. Kim, Laura , and Eric head inside, dropping onto the couch to watch them finish up. Parker sits on the floor in between them, reading a comic book. Kim leans over, ruffling his hair in greeting. Parker looks up with a smile, before retreating behind his book.

The boys wrap up the game, and despite the brief scuffle that ensues about picking a movie, they settle on an old Batman movie. Everyone’s appeased, even Laura, who despite not liking superhero’s very much, likes Michael Keaton well enough.

It’s a fun couple of hours, and even Parker and Eric get along. They call out for pizza, hanging out with Carey when she comes back from work. They wrap up the night as the sun sets, explaining that the boys had volunteering to do for the tribal council, which is code for ‘Paul needs to burn off some serious energy.’

Jared pulls Kim into the empty kitchen, slotting his mouth against her in a searing kiss. Kim loops her around his neck, rocking up to deepen the kiss. Jared’s hands are warm and solid against her hips, only adding to the lovely heat coiling low in her stomach.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” he whispers against her lips.

“School,” she tells him with a smirk.

“After,” he clarifies with a laugh. “Want to hang out, just you and me?”

“We could go to the beach, find a quiet spot,” Kim suggests. “Sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, just some cute fluff to clarify the timeline. Let me know what you thought!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer stretches out endlessly for Jared, and the second he steps out of his last final, he plans on spending every second possible with Kim. He walks Kim to her car, kissing her deeply before he leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Summer stretches out endlessly for Jared, and the second he steps out of his last final, he plans on spending every second possible with Kim. He walks Kim to her car, kissing her deeply before he leaves.

“You guys are gross,” Paul tells him matter-of-factly when he gets into his truck. Jared rolls his eyes, unable to keep the grin off his face.

“I know,” Jared says smugly, pulling out of the parking lot a tad too fast. Paul shakes his head, kicking his feet up on the dash. They roll down the windows, sunlight streaming in. It’s a rare sunny day, complete with warm weather.

They make their way to Jared’s house, parking their asses on the couch and firing up the Playstation. Parker gets back from school soon after, joining them for a bit.

“What’s up, bud?” Paul greets him, not bothering to look up. Jared grins at him, scooching over to let him sit. He loves his nephew, of course, but they’re not really close. There’s a weird age gap, for one, and they like different things. He and Carey are sort of the same way.

“Is this all you’re going to do all summer?” he teases quietly. Jared scoffs, playing absently. Paul’s going to win, he knows, so there’s no point in trying.

“What are _you_ going to do all summer?” he teases back. Parker shrugs, watching the game.

They hang out like that, the three of them, until Carey gets home. She presses a kiss to Parker’s temple, ducking down to ruffle both Jared and Paul’s hair.

“What are you boy’s going to do tonight?” she asks.

“Kim’s busy tonight, so I’m substitute girlfriend,” Paul snarks, grinning viciously at Jared. He flushes a little, swatting at him. Wisely, Parker ducks out of the way, laughing at the ensuing play-fight.

Jared hooks an elbow around Paul’s neck, hauling him down into the carpet. The wrestle for a while, the two of them struggling to knock the other over. Lately, Paul’s control has been staying steady, so Jared been a little more careless than normal.

They break apart when Carey hurls a pillow at them from the safety of the couch, where she and Parker are both huddled.

“So, you and Kim are pretty serious, huh?” Carey asks with a smirk.

“Yeah,” Jared admits, blushing hard now. Paul cackles. Jackass.

“They’re in looooooove,” Paul sing-songs. “He’s totally whipped.”

“Shut up,” Jared mumbles, a goofy smile cropping up on his face. Since it’s Kim-induced, it’s not like he could beat it down even if he wanted to.

“Invite her over,” Carey says. “Mom keeps telling you to, and you keep dodging her.”

“Yeah, I’ll ask her,” he says. Carey grins, pleased.

“Paul, you staying for dinner?” she asks, shrugging out of her blazer. Paul grins at her lasciviously, looking her up and down. Jared rolls his eyes. He’d tackle him, but Carey can hold her own.

“I’ll stay as long as you like,” he leers.

“Well, in that case,” she says brightly. “You know where the door is!”

Everyone laughs, even Paul. Carey whips up hamburger helper, which isn’t near enough to feed two teenage wolves, but they’ll probably grab a pizza before they head up to Sam’s for patrol. Dinner is quick, and they tear out, already running a little late.

They drive out to Forks for the pizza, gobbling it up as they drive back down. At Sam’s, Emily, saint that she is, offers them fresh baked cupcakes. There’s a pile of wedding magazines sprawled out on the counter.

“Are you guys finally doing some planning?” Jared asks, leaning against the counter to wait for Sam.

“Just some inspiration,” she says. “Sam’s going to make me an archway.”

“Fancy,” Paul whistles, flicking through the magazine with an expression of cautious curiosity.

“You two ready to go?” Sam asks, finally emerging from the back room. All three of them wrap Em in quick hugs, jogging out into the tree line. Jared wriggles out of his clothes, already shaking. He stashes his clothes in a tree, in the high branches. The wolf pushes against the seams of his mind, begging to be released.

Jared takes a deep breath, letting the wolf take over. It doesn’t hurt anymore, but it’s a strange transition from human to wolf, pressure rippling through his whole body.

Soon enough, three giant wolves stand in the clear. Sam shakes his head, coming into his wolf self. Jared’s the easiest transition, plus his senses are the sharpest. He looks around, mapping out a perimeter. There’s not much out, a few deer, and what sounds like a mountain lion, maybe fifty miles out.

_Ready to go?_

_Hells yeah, what’s the plan?_

_Perimeter sweep. Paul, you’re with me, we’re going east to west. Jared, you’re north to south._

_Roger._

_Stay in hearing distance._

With that, the three take off. Jared keeps a sedate pace on his route, sweeping through while keeping a careful eye. He can smell the lingering bleach reek of bloodsucker, maybe ten or fifteen miles out.

The leeches have been particularly careful to stay on their side of the border, but they’re all still a little on edge. Jared snaps a few birds that fly too close, snickering to himself as they fly helter-skelter.

He runs his route twice, half listening to Paul and Sam debate about stupid shit. His mind wanders back to Kim, predictably, and he thinks about bringing her home for dinner. She’s been over to hang out a few times, and she’s met pretty much all his family, but they’ve never done formal dinners before.

Eventually, Sam calls them back, satisfied that the rez is safe for now. Jared shifts back first, snagging his clothes from the branches. He dresses, waiting for Sam and Paul to shift back. Paul scowls, eyeing both Sam and Jared.

“All you guys ever talk about is your fucking girlfriends,” he grumbles. Sam shakes his head, running a hand through his hair.

“You’re getting shaggy, oh leader-o-mine,” Jared says, bumping shoulders with Paul. He jogs up ahead, whining to Emily about how Jared and Sam ignore him.

“You’ve seriously never had Kim over for dinner?” Sam asks, quieter. It’s not like Paul won’t hear, but they like to pretend they have privacy.

“Not really” he mumbles.

“Damn you move slow,” Sam chuckles, shoving him on ahead of him. “How long have you guys been together? Like six months?”

“About,” Jared admits. He crosses into the house, hurrying to the relative safety of Emily.

“Jeez, Sam, go easy on the boys,” she laughs once Jared’s done complaining. Chagrined, Sam wraps his arms around Emily’s waist, tucking his face in her neck.

“Good to go?” Jared asks, shoving a cupcake into his house. Emily snickers, laughing at him behind her hands. Sprawled out on the couch, Paul makes a whip sound. At Sam’s okay, he jogs out, leaving Paul to figure his own ride out. A little petty sure, but he deserves it.

The ride back to his house, Jared mulls over what to say to ask Kim. At home, he kisses his mom in greeting before he heads upstairs, commandeering the phone. He dials up Kim’s number, praying she’ll answer and not her mom. As much as he likes Ms. Conweller, she’s a little intimidating.

“Hello?” Someone must’ve been listening to her prayer; Kim’s sweet voice fills his ear and he grins.

“Hey, It’s Jared,” he says.

“Hey, what’s up, how was your patrol?” she asks, sounding a little breathless. Grinning like an idiot, Jared flops back onto his bed.

“Good,” he tells her. “Nothing really happened.”

“Well, that’s good for us, huh?” she laughs.

“Hey, listen, I have something to ask you,” he says, a little nervous. “Do want to come over for dinner, like formally? Like with my mom and Carey?”

“Oh!” For a second the line goes quiet, and all Jared can hear is breathing. “Like an official girlfriend dinner?”

“Yeah,” he says, suddenly breathless. “Officially.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, so things are becoming more serious! Also, we get to see Jared’s family a little more!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim’s been reeling at the idea of a formal ‘meet-the-parents’ since Jared asked her about a few days ago. Now, she only has hours to get herself under control. It isn’t like she’s never met Jared’s family before, but this is the first time she’ll be going over there with the express purpose of meeting them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here’s the dinner scene. Enjoy!

Kim’s been reeling at the idea of a formal ‘meet-the-parents’ since Jared asked her about a few days ago. Now, she only has hours to get herself under control. It isn’t like she’s never met Jared’s family before, but this is the first time she’ll be going over there with the express purpose of meeting them.

Kim’s currently in the kitchen, trying to whip up some brownies to bring over. She snickers quietly to herself: literal brownie points. God, Jared’s really starting to rub off on her. Kim shakes her head, forcing herself to focus. The recipe is one of Emily’s, her pretty handwriting curling on a small index card. She’d promised this was one of her easier recipes.

“Even Sam can handle this one,” she’d said. “And he’s sort of a disaster in the kitchen.”

Admittedly, it’s not hard. It’s even sort of fun, measuring and mixing until it actually starts to resemble brownie batter. Kim greases a pan just like Emily showed her, loads up the batter, and slides it into the oven. With that, she sets the ancient chicken-shaped timer and flops down into one of the kitchen chairs.

“Smells good, baby,” her mom says, finally emerging from her marathon shower. Now that it’s summer, she’d been much busier at work, hosting event, running contests, and covering concerts. Kim’s thrilled for her, but she still misses her. She leans down to press a quick kiss to Kim’s hair, wrinkling her nose a little.

“You’re going to shower after this, right?” she teases, taking a seat opposite her daughter. Kim flushes, sticking her tongue out.

“As if there’s any hot water left.” At that her mom winces, offering Kim a sheepish smile.

“Sorry chickadee might want to wait an hour,” she says. “So, when are you headed over to Shelley’s?”

“Jared’s picking me up at seven,” she says. “You were friends with her in high school, right? What’s she like?”

“She’s a good lady, you’ll like her,” her mom says. “We used to be on the same soccer team together.”

“Okay, but will she like me?” Kim presses, worry creeping into her voice. Her mom gives her a stern look.

“Listen, kid, you’re a goddamn delight,” she says, completely straight-faced. “If she doesn’t like you, then she’s got the problem, but I really think she will.” Kim ducks her head, embarrassed at the candor and praise.

“She’s going to love you and those amazing smelling brownies,” her mom carries on. “Are you planning on leaving any for the house?”

“I’ll save you a couple,” Kim promises, laughing. Her mom laughs, crossing over to ruffle Kim’s hair.

“Go pick out your outfit, that’ll kill some time,” she says. “I want you home before midnight, alright?”

“Sure thing,” Kim promises, hoping up to wrap her mom in a quick hug. She grabs the timer, bringing it upstairs with her. Predictably, her mom is right because Kim has absolutely no clue where to even begin. Already antsy, she grabs the phone, dialing Laura’s number. Thankfully, Laura answers.

“Hey, it’s Laura,” she answers breezily.”

“Hey, it’s Kim,” she replies, almost terse. “So, you know how I’m supposed to have dinner with Jared’s family—“

“You’re freaking out and need rescued?” Laura guesses. Kim grins in relief, agreeing. “I’ll be over in fifteen.”

Kim kills a little more time by digging out her makeup from below the sink and arranging it nicely on her vanity. She knows how to use the mascara and lip gloss, but the rest is a mystery. 

Thankfully, Laura gets there just before Kim is about to start experimenting.

“Hey girl!” she says brightly. It’s a rare sunny day, so clearly, Laura spent all her time soaking up the sun. Her skin is a little red over the bridge of her nose.

“Thanks for coming to rescue me,” Kim says, gathering her in a quick hug.

“Let’s go see what we’re working with,” Laura says. Together, they scurry upstairs, beelining for Kim’s room. She flops on the bed, letting Laura dig through her closet as she wants.

“So, what did you do today?” Kim asks, propping her chin on her hand.

“Spent all day hiding from my parents,” she says, examining a pretty green blouse. “Too mom-ish.”

“What’s up with them?” Personally, Kim likes the blouse, but Laura’s right. In all technicality, it belongs to her mom.

“School literally just got out and they’re already hounding me about college,” she says, discarding a pale purple V-neck. “Like, my dad dumped a bunch of brochures on my desk this morning, telling me I needed to go through them and pick out programs

“That sucks,” Kim says sympathetically. The timer goes off then and Laura waves her off, intent on creating the perfect look. Kim hurries to get the brownies out, sticking them on a cooling rack. She grabs a couple of sodas on her way up, popping the tab to one of them and taking a deep drink.

“Here,” Laura says as Kim comes in. “What do you think?” Laid out on the bed is Kim’s best pair of black pants and a navy-blue blouse that Kim had totally forgotten she owned.

“It’s perfect,” she says, grinning as she hands over Laura’s soda.

“I know,” she says smugly. “Now, go take a shower, you look like you need it.” Kim ignores the teasing, grabbing her robe and her shower things. She moves fast, scrubbing hard. Fifteen minutes later, her skin in slathered in lotion and her hair is brushed through.

“So, what’s the deal with the early start on the college front?” Kim asks as she comes back in. She takes a seat at her vanity, pinning her hair back. Laura, who’d been flicking through an old Catwoman comic, abandons it to come help.

“Well, you know my cousins, right? The twins?” Indeed, Laura’s cousins, Rachel and Rebecca Black used to be the talk of the town. Rachel was crazy intelligent, and she’d founded the debate team at their school. Rebecca was one of the best athletes the school produced, setting countless track records. “Well, you know how Rachel got that full ride to U of W, right? My parents are expecting me to do the same thing.”

Kim cringes in sympathy. The twins are a tough act to follow, but people still talk about that scholarship. Their kid brother, Jacob is at the high school now, and Kim can only imagine what he’s going through. Laura rolls her eyes, clearly not wanting to talk about it. Instead, she picks up Kim’s foundation skin, smearing a little on her fingers before rubbing it gently all over Kim’s face.

Together, they finish getting her ready and when Kim looks in the mirror, her breath catches a little. She looks totally grown up. The pants hug her perfectly, making it look like she actually has curves. The top looks fantastic, the collar sitting just low enough to be interesting without being provocative. As a thank you, Kim sends Laura home with an extra-large brownie piece.

She cuts up the rest, making sure to leave a few for her mom and Eric, before arranging them as neatly as possible in a plastic container. Brownies taken care of, the plops herself on the couch, flicking the TV on to calm her nerves before Jared gets here.

Fifteen minutes into some mindless game show, the doorbell rings and Kim hops up, both relieved that he’s here and buzzing with nerves. She calls out a quick ‘bye’, promising she’ll stick to her curfew.

“Hey,” Kim says breathlessly as she opens the door. Jared grins at her, stepping close to kiss her. Kim breaks it off with a smile, a warm blush heating her cheeks.

“Ready to go?” he asks, slipping his hand into her free one. She nods and he leads to his truck, getting the door for her. He had a little wolf trouble in here a while ago, but Jared and Paul have been working hard to get it back to normal. It looks good, and when Kim tells him so, he just about glows with pride.

The drive is quick and just being with Jared makes her feel better. This is Jared’s family; if he loves her as much as he does, surely his family will like her at least. Inside, Jared leads her past the living room where Parker is sprawled on the couch, drawing. Kim barely has time to say hi before she’s whisked inside the kitchen.

“Oh, you’re here!” Mrs. Cameron says with a smile. “Jared, she’s just as pretty as you said, honey.”

Kim flushes at the compliment, shyly thanking her. Mrs. Cameron wraps her in a quick hug before instructing Jared to set the table. Kim offers her help too, and just like that, she’s put to work grabbing the rolls from the oven and putting the roast veggies in a dish. It’s nice, almost like being at home, and Mrs. Cameron talks enough to make up for her awkward silences.

Finally, when dinner’s on the table, Mrs. Cameron calls down Carey and Parker. Soon enough, the five of them are seated, dishes being passed around and plates being filled. Before she knows it, Kim finds her plate full of helpings of everything, the meatloaf, the veggie, the mashed potatoes, and a roll, balanced precariously on the edge of her plate. Jared’s already inhaling his dinner, close to polishing off the plate.

“So, Kim,” Mrs. Cameron says over the din of Carey and Jared fighting over rolls. “Tell me about yourself, what do you like to do?”

“Um,” Kim takes a sip of water before answering. “I really like reading, and sometimes I write. Nothing much, just some short story ideas.”

“How fun!” she says, snatching the last roll from the pair and plonking it on Parker’s plate. Carey laughs, conceding. “Come on, you going to snatch that from your own son?”

“Hey, I got to eat to take care of him,” she reasons, running a hand through Parker’s hair affectionately. “So, you like English, Kim?”

She nods, feeling a little bit like a kindergartener beguiling adults about her school life. Jared emerges from his first round of scarfing and fills his plate, giving Kim a proud look.

“Kim’s pretty much a genius at every subject,” he says. “I was pretty much failing calc and she brought me up to a solid B.”

“That’s damn impressive,” Mrs. Cameron says. “I love the kid, but he can be a pain in the ass to teach. Now, his father? There was a man with patience. He could’ve taught Jared.”

Kim’s torn between her curiosity and the way Jared’s smile goes tight at the mention of his father, but thankfully, Carey makes that decision for her.

“Dad was great at actually teaching stuff,” Carey says with a fond smile. “The summer I got my license, he took me out every day before the test and never yelled once. Mom would’ve been screaming the second I started the car.” They all laugh, and the tension eases a little, including Jared.

“So, are you thinking about college?” Mrs. Cameron asks Kim after a minute. Kim deliberates, unsure how to answer.

“I mean, I’d really like to go, but I don’t know where and for what,” she explains. K

“Well, Carey did communications and she has a job on the local news,” Mrs. Cameron offers. “She went to community college, then transferred up to U of W. It’s a pretty good school.”

“They have a great English department,” Carey adds in. “I had a few friends in it.”

“Maybe,” Kim says. “I’ll have to check it out.”

The rest of the dinner goes really well, and Kim finds that she really likes Jared’s family. Mrs. Cameron is super vibrant, talkative and fun. Kim mentions her mom and she gushes about the radio show, and how cool it is that one of her old school friends is a local celebrity.

“Listen, next time we do this, get your mom to come,” she says, loading dishes into the dishwasher. “Don’t you have a brother about Parker’s age? That could be fun.”

“I’ll let her know,” Kim says, helping to clear up the last of the dishes. Carey’s got Parker loading up the garbage while she packs away the leftovers. Jared rinses the dishes to hand to his mom.

Carey’s really cool too, self-assured and confident in a way that Kim wishes she could be. She clearly loves her family, doting on Parker and being playful with Jared. Kim hopes she and Eric will be like that for a long time, too.

Parker’s pretty quiet, but he seems really sweet. Out of everyone, Kim understands being trapped in your own shell. He’ll be really cool when he gains a little confidence.

They eat brownies in the living room, while Mrs. Cameron and Carey sip mugs of tea. Kim basks in the compliments of her non-existent baking skills, but Jared shoots her a knowing wink. Kim thanks them profusely, assuring them dinner was great and promising to ask her mom along next time.

Jared drives her home, and the two of them linger in the cab of the truck, trading kisses for as long as Kim can get away with it. She can no longer pretend she can’t see Eric pressed against the windows, she pulls away offering Jared a rueful smile. He pulls her in for one last kiss before he lets her go. All in all, it’s a pretty successful night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared grins like an idiot pretty much the entire night. Even Parker, who’s usually a bit more reserved when it comes to the family bonding activity—merciless teasing—joins in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, yes, this is a little late, but c’est la vie. Anyways, time to get into the some important questions. Enjoy!

Jared grins like an idiot pretty much the entire night. Even Parker, who’s usually a bit more reserved when it comes to the family bonding activity—merciless teasing—joins in.

“I like her, Jare,” Carey says. They’re sitting in front of the TV, scrolling through the channels, looking for a movie to watch. “You better treat her right.”

“I love her,” he says simply, slouching down in his seat. Sam wants them out on patrol tomorrow night, which is totally going to suck, so he’s spending as much time at home as he can. It’s not like he can actually tell his family where he’ll be.

“That’s kind of a big deal,” Carey says, mildly impressed. “She knows?”

“Sure,” Jared says easily, smile going a little dreamy. “She loves me too.”

“Well, you guys are being careful, right?” she asks. Jared jumps, startled at the invasive questions, sputtering out non-answers. He’s pretty sure he’s bright red. “Condoms, Jare, every single time. No exceptions.”

“Okay!” he agrees quickly. Anything to get her to shut up.

“Say you’ll use a condom every time, Jare, promise me,” she presses, poking his side. Going even redder, he repeats her, promising. They pretty much call it a night after that, and Jared escapes to his room, all thoughts of sibling bonding quickly forgotten.

As he gets ready for bed, he mulls over Carey’s advice, and soon enough, his mind is running away with him, imagining wild scenario’s that definitely aren’t going to happen. He’d like them to, obviously, considering Kim’s the most beautiful girl in his world and he loves her with everything he’s got, but he respects her too much to even broach the topic.

He’s not scared or anything.

He’s had girlfriends before, sure, but none this serious and he definitely hadn’t gotten past third base with any of them. He’s just… concerned about the lack of experience all around. He wants it to be good for Kim, whenever they get there.

The next morning, he sleeps in pretty late, missing Carey heading off to work entirely. In fact, when he finally drags his ass downstairs, the only person there is Parker, sitting at the kitchen table reading a comic.

“Hey, Kim has that issue,” Jared says, pouring a bowl of cereal.

“Really?” Parker quirks an eyebrow. “Your girlfriend is cooler than you, then.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jared laughs, gulping down cereal. Breakfast—if you can even call it that at noon—is quick, and Jared hurries through cleaning up and getting ready, driving out to Kim’s. Hopefully, she’ll want to hang out.

At her place, Eric lets him in, bleary eyed and clearly just having woken up.

“Kim’s upstairs,” he mumbles, returning to the veritable fort of comforters on the couch. “Laura’s over.”

Jared stills at the bottom of the stairs, listening. There’s music playing on the radio, and he grins when he recognizes her mom’s show. They’re talking about the dinner last night, Kim breaking down every minute for Laura to analyze. Per Laura’s assessment, it went really well.

Jared makes his way upstairs. Her door’s open, but neither of them have noticed him. He knocks on the doorframe, delighting in the way they both jump and blush at the sight of him.

“Speak of the devil,” Laura laughs. “Hey, Jare-bear.”

“Hey,” he says, crossing through the room to get to Kim. He presses a kiss against her lips, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Missed you.”

“Missed you too,” she whispers, reaching up to cup his cheek.

“Gross!” Laura complains, throwing a little pillow at them. “Get a room!”

“We have one,” Kim says, smirking over his shoulder. Kim gently pushes him off and he flops on her bed, hanging his head over the edge of the bed.

“Let’s go do something,” he says.

“There’s a new café in Forks,” Laura offers. Kim and Jared exchange discreet looks. There’s no way Jared’s going anywhere near Forks, not with the leeches out and about.

“What about that milkshake place by the beach,” Kim suggests. “I need ice cream and whipped cream.”

Laura lights up, easily distracted by the promise of ice cream. It’s not particularly sunny today, pretty much entirely cloudy, but it’s not supposed to rain, which is cool. Jared offers to drive, and they load up Laura’s bike in the bed of the truck. Apparently, her car is on the fritz.

Since it’s not raining, pretty much the entire population of La Push is out on the beaches. They manage to grab their milkshakes and find a spot on the beach. They hang out and shoot the breeze for a while, and somehow, the topic of college comes up.

It’s not like Jared’s opposed to the idea, and honestly, he thinks it would be really cool to go. Kim looks a little forlorn at the idea, and Jared gets the horrible idea that she thinks she might have to stay here for him. They really haven’t been talking about college at all, or even life after high school, but Kim’s especially reluctant to talk about it.

Jared drops Laura off at her place, and he and Kim drive up to the nature center. They park and take one of the trails, just ambling and chatting. Kim slips her hand into his, tripping over the some of the rocks. Jared snickers, grabbing her waist to steady her.

They make their way back, and Kim props her feet up on the dash, rolling down the windows. She looks good like there, her hair whipping around her face. Her mom’s show is playing on the radio and they sing along to some of the oldie’s.

Kim quiets as they get closer to her house, her smile drawing into a contemplative line. Jared’s brow creases, a little worried.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, I was just thinking…” Kim trails off, playing with her fingers. “You’ll have to stay for a while, right? On the res?”

“Uh, yeah,” he says, swallowing hard. “The leeches… I mean, it’s not like they can stay here forever.”

“I guess not,” she says, slumping down in the seat. Jared looks at, trying to think through his next words.

“I love you,” he says baldly. Kim turns to face him, smiling a little in surprise, opening her mouth to presumably tell him she loves him too. “And I don’t want you to stay here.”

“What? Wait, no, I don’t want—”

“I don’t want you to ever feel like you have to stay here for me,” he says. He swallows, trying to keep his voice even. “I want you to do whatever you want to do.”

“What if I want to stay here with you?” Kim asks him.

“I’d be over the fucking moon,” he admits. “So long as you’re happy.”

“What if I want to go across the country,” she offers. “Like in New York.”

“It’d be hard, but I’d come visit, or whatever, so long as you’re happy,” he says. Kim frowns like she doesn’t like the answer.

“What about you?” she asks. “What about what you want to do?” 

Jared blinks, surprised by the question. He doesn’t have an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, getting into some serious questions about both Kim and Jared’s future. Tune it next week and let me know what you guys think!


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim tries not to think about the college thing often. They have an entire year before anything really changes, and almost six months to make a decision on their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so we’re getting into some uncharted Jared/Kim territory. Enjoy!

Kim tries not to think about the college thing often. They have an entire year before anything really changes, and almost six months to make a decision on their future.

Still, she thinks about that day in the car, in front of her house, when she’d asked Jared what he wanted to do, and he’d just looked at her like he couldn’t understand the question. It hurts to think that he doesn’t have a choice, that he’s trapped here in this role for however long the vampires decide to stay.

She’s careful not to bring it up, nor her own college prep. She and Laura have been driving down to Forks Public Library every weekend to study for the SAT, but Kim usually times it so she goes when Jared’s busy with Paul or Sam.

It works for a few weeks, all the way to the last week of July, which is coincidentally her birthday week. She, Laura, and her mom are sitting at the kitchen table, planning for her seventeenth birthday party.

“Oh, Kimmy,” her mom sighs. “I can’t believe—“

“—Where the time’s gone,” Kim parrots back with a grin. Her mom rolls her eyes, poking her with a pencil.

“Stop sassing me and help with the guest list,” she says. Laura giggles, busy compiling a set list. Instead of forcing Kim to go through the embarrassment of having her mom DJ, Laura promised she’d make a mix tape to play.

“Song’s from this decade only,” Laura had said. “No offense.”

“Just us, grandma, Laura, Paul, and Jared and his family,” Kim rattles off. After the first official dinner, Jared’s been over to her house for dinner, and two weeks ago, her family had gone over to his for a cookout. Her mom and his had gotten on like a house on fire.

“That’s it?” her mom asks. “No other school friends?”

“Plus, Sam Uley and his fiancé Emily,” Kim tacks on. She doesn’t want a big party, which her mom’s a little upset about, but really, Kim just doesn’t have anyone else to invite.

“Of course, they’re coming, Emily’s helping with the cake,” her mom mutters. “Can I invite some of my friends and their kids?”

“No!” Kim says firmly. “No one at the party that I don’t personally know.”

“Oh, alright,” she concedes. Laura shoots Kim a sympathetic look. “Listen, I know it’s early, but I have something for you.”

“What?” Kim watches curiously as her mom jumps up from her chair and hurries up the stairs. “What?” she asks Laura, who only gives her a knowing grin in return. Her mom comes back more sedately, clearly holding something behind her back.

“Okay, close your eyes.” Kim rolls them first before she complies, but she can’t fight the excited smile that crops up on her face. Kim waits for her mom to tell her to open them, and when she does, there’s a beautifully wrapped little box in front of her.

“Mom, you’re a little early,” she says, grinning broadly.

“Yeah, well, I had to get things done by the fifteenth and I couldn’t wait anymore,” she counters, squeezing Kim’s shoulder. “Open it!”

Kim does, carefully pulling away the paper. It’s a cardboard box, pretty non-descript, but when she opens it, she gasps.

A cell phone.

Laid beautifully amidst crepe paper is an adorable little lime green phone. Kim loves it instantly, from its cute little screen to it’s tiny, raised pink buttons.

“Mom, I love it!” she squeals, leaping up to wrap her in a tight hug. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome, baby,” she says. “Laura helped me pick it out and get it set up. All of your friends’ numbers should be in there.”

“And, all of us have your number too!” Laura interjects before Kim wraps her in a hug too.

“You guys are the best!” she declares.

“Just remember, you’re sharing minutes and texts with me, okay? So, no going overboard.” Kim nods, gingerly extracting the phone. Her first cell phone!

“Calls after nine are free, though,” Kim points out.

“No talking on the phone at all hours,” her mom says mock-sternly. Kim agrees, eager to get exploring. Laura talks her through every function, and in under an hour, she’s pretty much an expert. The first thing she does is send a text to Jared, who’s had his own cell phone for a while.

KIM: Hey its kim

Jared texts her back, and he promises to call later, when they actually have the time to talk. After that, the birthday planning committee disbands, and girls pack up their stuff to head to the library.

“So, did you sign up to take the test?” Laura asks, dumping her backpack in the backseat of Kim’s car.

“Yeah, August 25th,” she says. “Do you think it’s early enough to get the scores back?”

“Sure,” Laura reassures her. “I have mine scheduled for September.”

“Kim!” She jumps at the call of her name, whirling around to find Jared, leaning out the window of his truck, Paul in tow. Suddenly, a blush overtakes her face, definitely not the good kind. She waves awkwardly, hoping he’ll go before she has to explain what they’re doing.

Of course, he doesn’t. Instead, he pulls into her driveway, hopping out of the truck and wrapping his in a tight hug. She doesn’t get a chance to explain, because he plants a kiss to her lips, which makes it hard for Kim to think straight.

“What are you guys up to?” he asks.

“Dude, it’s Sunday,” Laura says. Kim shuts her eyes, shameful.

“What about it?” Paul asks. Kim can feel Jared stiffen, and slowly, he retracts his arm.

“It’s library day,” Laura elaborates. “Hasn’t Kim told you? We go to Forks Library every Sunday to study.”

“Study what? It’s summer,” Paul points out. There’s a look of understanding on Jared’s face, then one of resignation.

“College prep,” Jared answers dully. “Come on, Paul, they’re busy.”

With that, Jared herd Paul away, basically forcing him into the truck. He peels out of the driveway too fast, sending a flurry of pebbles flying. Kim watches the truck disappear down the drive with a lump sitting heavy in her throat.

“What was that about?” Laura asks, sliding into the passenger seat of her car. Kim doesn’t answer, climbing into her own seat and starting the car. Laura lets her get all the way to the highway before she asks the question again.

“I never told Jared about the studying thing,” Kim admits softly.

“So? It’s not like you’re doing anything wrong,” Laura says. “He shouldn’t be mad at you.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” she mumbles, focusing intently on the road ahead of them.

“Why?” Laura presses her. “I mean, he’s kind of slacking a little, but he’s going to be doing the same thing in the fall.”

“How many people do you think actually leave the res?” At that, Laura blushes. It’s a pretty loaded question, especially after Rachel Black’s full ride to UoW.

“Jared’s smart—“

“Some people just don’t have the option, and it’s not fair,” Kim charges ahead. They make it to the library and park. Kim shakes her head, trying to force herself to focus. She can’t let the entire day go to shit.

“I’m sorry, can we just drop it?” Laura nods, sheepish, and they head inside to study. Despite the weight on Kim’s heart, she manages to be pretty productive, gets through a ton of math questions and aces this set of vocab words. She manages to put it out of her head.

That night, however, is a completely different story and Kim lays awake all night, stewing in her guilt. How could she just go ahead with the college stuff, know she’d have to leave Jared to do it, knowing that he didn’t get to make the same choices she did. He can say over and over again that he wants her to be happy, that he’ll support whatever decision she makes, but she knows it hurts him, which is the absolute last thing she wants to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, they have to go through all the normal stressors that high school students face, even if they are supernatural soulmates. Ah, college and the threat of an uncertain future.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared’s been angry, stressed, heartbroken, and much more about Kim, but he’s never been mad at her. Right now, he’s teetering on a weird edge between anger and shame. Paul shakes off his hand, scowling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I haven’t given Jared a lot of space to process how being a wolf has affected his life, so here we are. Enjoy!

Jared’s been angry, stressed, heartbroken, and much more about Kim, but he’s never been mad at her. Right now, he’s teetering on a weird edge between anger and shame. Paul shakes off his hand, scowling.

“What?” he asks. Maybe his face is weird because Paul’s face softens and he asks again, kinder this time. Embarrassment burns across his face and he ducks his face.

“Nothing,” he mumbles. Jared yanks open the truck door, hopping inside. He’s not even mad that Kim’s going on to study without him, or that she’s going to Forks. He’s pissed and embarrassed that she couldn’t even tell him.

“What’s the deal about the library?” Paul tries again. “Because it’s in Forks? Did you tell her she couldn’t go and—”

“I don’t tell her what to do,” he says sharply. The wolf within him howls, aching to be released, and suddenly, his control tremors. He grips the steering wheel tight, knuckles going stark white against the dark leather.

“Stop the car,” Paul says, a rare note of authority in his voice. The wolf snarls in his head, bristling at the idea of a pack mate trying to pull rank.

“Jared,” he says, louder this time. “Stop the fucking car before you phase.”

Jared slams on the brakes, breathing hard. The wolf claws at his mind ripping into the humanity within him. He thrashes against the seatbelt, and thankfully, Paul is there, unclicking it and sprinting out and around to get Jared’s door.

He tumbles out of the car, humanity waning. He chokes, the sudden transition shocking his system. Paul grabs his shoulders, shoving him towards the trees. Jared can’t even pinpoint where they even are.

The wolf claims him completely and his mind seems to dissolve. There is nothing for a minute, the Jared comes back to himself, orienting himself.

_What happened?_

Sam’s voice is grounding and he focuses on it, breathing hard. Sam makes his way over to him, giving him enough space. Against his will, the memory of Kim that day on the beach plays. The trapped look on her face, like she could see bars around La Push.

_That’s not true, Jared_

_Come on, we’re not trapped here. Don’t say shit like that_

Kim’s face is clear in his mind, the uncertainty on her face, the doubt. Is her holding her back?

_She loves you, man, she’ll be where you are_

_I can’t hold her back, I don’t want to make her choose between me and her life_

_That’s not your call, that something only she can figure out_

_Pull it the fuck together dude, come on_

_Shit, Paul, give him a minute_

_What happened to Mr. Control?_

Jared rolls his eyes, but its’ clear what Paul’s trying to do. He’s not too great with genuine feelings so he aims for levity at all times.

_I ripped through my clothes_

At this, Paul and Sam both howl with laughter. Jared scoffs, pawing at the ground. If Sam and Paul decide it’s funnier to leave him naked, he could probably make his way to his house without being seen, phase back, and sprint to the big tree outside his bedroom and shimmy up to his room. Naked. Fuck.

_I’ll get you clothes if you join up on the construction project this week_

Sam’s dad is starting a new construction project and Sam’s his right hand man. They’ve been short of people and Sam’s been trying to get Paul and him to join up, but they’d opted to laze around and play video games all summer.

_Okay, fine_

With that, Sam trots off in the direction he came and Jared settles down amidst the plush grass to wait. He plays that last memory of Kim over, the caught look on her face and Laura’s confusion. She’s going to leave, he realizes. It’s going to be painful as fuck, but he has to accept it and let her go.

Paul eyes him warily, too caught up in the adrenaline of the recent change to actually settle down. He paces back and forth, tail twitching.

_Eventually, it stops right?_

_What does?_

_Being a wolf_

_Fuck, man, I don’t know. Billy Black even said he had no idea until his father was on his deathbed, telling him everything last minute_

_This secrecy thing sucks_

_Fucking tell me about it_

Sam returns as a human, dressed in a tank top and cutoff shorts. He tosses something similar to Jared. He phases back to change while Paul runs off to find where he tossed his clothes. Once the three of them are human again, they make their way back to Sam’s.

Emily sits at the kitchen table when they walk in, flipping through the course catalog for the local community college. She’s got a pen in hand, lips pursed as she considers her options. For a minute, she looks so much like Kim that Jared’s heart hurts, but then she sees them and lets out a surprised laugh, hopping up to give them all quick hugs.

“Going back to school?” Paul asks, picking up the catalog. “Business classes, huh?”

“You know, I’ve been thinking of maybe running a bakery from home,” Em says. “Nothing crazy, but maybe just to cater to cafes here, or parties and stuff. Oh, and speaking off, Jared, tell Kimmy to call me back. I need to pick flavors for her birthday cake.”

“Right,” Jared mumbles, scrubbing a hand over his hair. “Yeah, I will.”

Sam stares at the catalog for a hard moment, then looks up to Emily. He’s frowning, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Em, you had a full ride to school, didn’t you? UCLA?” he asks.

“Dude! You could’ve gone to UCLA?” Paul crows. “Why the hell didn’t you go?”

“First of all, I didn’t have a full ride,” she clarifies, suddenly defensive. “I just got in, that’s all. And besides, it was way too far, way too expensive, and sister just found out she was pregnant at the time—”

“And me,” Sam intones. An uncomfortable silence settles over the kitchen and Emily just stares at Sam, the same caught expression on her face that Kim had.

“Sam,” she stutters, after a minute, but he shakes his head.

“I’m going to bed,” he says gruffly. “I have to meet my dad early.” Emily watches him go, looking decidedly lost.

“What happened earlier,” she asks softly after a minute. “Did one of you phase for something serious? Is that what this is about?” Jared and Paul share a look, then shake their heads.

“Never mind, Emily, it’s no big deal,” Jared says. He makes up his mind. He is not going to hold Kim back. He loves Sam and Emily, thinks they’re a great couple, but UCLA? How could anyone bypass such an opportunity? “I’ll talk to Kim.”

He means it, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, I’m about to try my hand at angst, so hold onto your britches. Let me know what you thought!


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim doesn’t hear from Jared for three whole days. While it doesn’t sound like a lot, and while she’s certainly not the type to become insecure, it makes her nervous. Four days before her birthday, she finally admits to her mom that she and Jared got into a fight, and that he might not be coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

Kim doesn’t hear from Jared for three whole days. While it doesn’t sound like a lot, and while she’s certainly not the type to become insecure, it makes her nervous. Four days before her birthday, she finally admits to her mom that she and Jared got into a fight, and that he might not be coming.

“Honey, that’s ridiculous,” she says, pouring herself a tall mug of coffee. The colleges have just started their fall semester, and with that comes a wave of fresh communications majors interning at the radio station. “He loves you, he’ll show.”

Kim only shrugs, watching her mom pack her lunch box. She sighs, pushing Kim’s hair back and planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Seriously, sweetheart,” she says. “Little fights break out all the time, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“It wasn’t a little fight, though,” she protests, sticking an apple in her mom’s lunchbox. There should be something healthy in there, at least. So far, there’s a bag of chips, pretzels, a cheese sandwich, and a couple brownies crammed in. Kim zips it up before her mom sees. “We were fighting about the future, about college.”

“Oh, well, listen Kimmy, you should definitely go! With your grades—”

“Mom, I know! It’s just not fair that I can go and he can’t!”

“Well, why not? If Jared worked hard this semester, and maybe picked lacrosse and football back up, then he’d have a good shot.” Kim shakes her head. She needs to talk to someone who understands. “And give Emily a call, will you? She’s been trying to get ahold of you.”

Kim flushes. It’s not like she’s avoiding anyone in particular, but she also doesn’t want to argue with anyone either. Paul’s probably rearing to yell at her. He’s particularly protective of his pack, even her sometimes, but if she and Jared are in a fight, then he’ll side with Jared. Same with Sam, which means Emily too.

“Yeah,” she says listlessly. “I will.”

Laura’s going on a date today with some boy from Forks, which means she’ll be busy all day. All that leaves Kim with is Eric, who’s decided to becomes a human vegetable on their couch. With a world weary sigh, Kim grabs a bowl of cereal and plops down beside him.

“What are you up to?” she asks, taking a few bites. Eric makes a noncommittal sound, aimlessly flickering through channels. It’s that point in summer where school looming, only a scant few weeks away, and it’s too hot to do anything. In La Push, that means either hole up inside, or fight your way through the humidity to do anything.

“Are you going to hang out with your friends later?” she tries again, polishing off the rest of her cereal. Eric grunts, indecipherable, and Kim groans. “Come on, are you ignoring me?”

“A bunch of my friends went camping with their dads,” he says flatly, eyes glued on the television screen. Instantly, Kim feels guilty. She might know who her dad is now, but Eric still doesn’t. It’s a secret their mom won’t divulge. As a result, Eric’s the only kid in his class that doesn’t have a dad, or know anything about him.

“Hey, why don’t we do something?” she suggests, putting on a cheery voice. Maybe that’ll lift their moods. Eric deigns to look at her, quirking an eyebrow.

“What?” he asks.

“Anything you want,” she says.

“Fine, but don’t you still have to call Emily about the cake?” Eric reminds her with a sly grin. He knows how awkward and shy she can be on the phone, even to her friends.

“Asswipe,” she mutters. “Fine, I’ll call her and then we can go out.”

“Don’t take forever,” he calls as she makes her way upstairs. Kim flops down heavily on her bed, grabbing her cell phone from the bed side table. She dials the number, squirming to get comfortable.

“Kim!” Emily’s cheery voice puts her at ease and she smiles. It might’ve only been a few days, but she’s missed her friends dearly. “Hey, ready for the big day?”

“It’s only my seventeenth,” she laughs. “It’s not that important.”

“Every birthday is important,” Emily says sagely. “Did you decide what kind of cake you wanted?”

“Uh…” Actually, cake had been the last thing on her mind. “Surprise me. I trust you to make it awesome.”

“Deal! It’ll be amazing!” Emily agrees. “But, hey listen, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

“Sure,” she says hesitantly, pulling herself up so she can hug her knees.

“I, uh, heard about what happened,” she says. “Me and Sam are sort of going through the same thing, I guess.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know if you knew, but two years ago, I got into Stanford, but I ended up not going, and it was sort of because of everything that happened,” Emily explains. “All of that ended up on the wayside, but we’ve been talking about it.”

“So, what happened?”

“Look, it’s your life, and it’s your choice,” Emily says. “Love doesn’t fade just because two people aren’t around each other every day, you know?”

“I know, but it’s not fair that I get the choice to leave and Jared doesn’t,” she counters. “That’s why he’s so mad.”

“Oh, sweetheart, he’s not mad, I promise,” Emily assures her. “If anything, I think he’s embarrassed that he overreacted.”

“He didn’t, though,” she insists.

“Well, that sounds like something you need to talk over with Jared, but just know that you can make any choice you want to with your life,” Emily says. “That, and you’re going to have an amazing birthday cake.”

Kim laughs, thanking Emily and letting her off the phone. Feeling decidedly lighter, she heads downstairs, grabbing her keys and jangling them at Eric to get him moving. He grins at her, jamming on his shoes and following her eagerly.

Kim drives them down to the diner to get milkshakes, then to first beach. A bunch of Forks kids are out, huddled in clumps on picnic blankets. She and Eric kick it on the sand, watching the waves. Her mind wanders to Jared, and how Emily had assured her he wasn’t mad. She sighs. They can’t keep doing this, having little spats and avoiding each other instead of facing the issue. She resolves to call him when they get home.

“Thanks for the milkshake,” Eric says, jolting her from her reverie. She smiles at him, nudging his shoulder with hers.

“Don’t worry about it,” she says. She tilts her head back, trying to catch even a single ray of sun, but there’s a flat layer of clouds obscuring the sky. At least it doesn’t look like rain. “Want to do anything else?”

“Nah, this is nice,” he says, laying back against the sand. “It’s cool to just sit out.”

“Ready for freshman year?” she says, poking his stomach. He squirms, giving her the stink eye.

“Don’t remind me that we have to go to the same school now,” he groans, throwing his arm dramatically over his eyes. Kim snickers, jabbing her fingers into his side until he jolts up, a mischieveous look in his eyes. He lunges, knocking her back into the sand and snatching her half empty cup from her. He scrambles to his feet, taking a few huge gulps, his own cup sits undisturbed and empty.

“Come back here!” she gasps, tearing after him. God, they haven’t played around like this in years, maybe since she was in elementary school. Eric’s fast, so he tanks most of her milkshake, saving only a sip when she catches up to him. Kim snatches it back, slurping the rest of it and sucking on the empty straw indignantly.

“Aren’t you too old to chase your little brother halfway down the beach?” he asks, catching his breath.

“You’re never too old to defend your milkshake’s honor,” she says sagely. Eric scoffs and Kim hooks her elbow around his neck, dragging him back to the car. She’d forgotten how cool he could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some nice family bonding! Let me know what you thought!


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared wakes up pretty late the day of Kim’s birthday. He’s been up almost half the night worrying about whether to go, what to say to her, and if she’ll be mad. If she ignored him for three days, he’s be pretty pissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang, sorry for the late update, but in my defense, it was birthday yesterday! Either way, hope you enjoy!

Jared wakes up pretty late the day of Kim’s birthday. He’s been up almost half the night worrying about whether to go, what to say to her, and if she’ll be mad. If she ignored him for three days, he’s be pretty pissed.

Still, he gets dressed in his Carey-approved outfit and heads out to the truck hoping in. He’s picking the pack, and more importantly, the cake up.

At Sam and Emily’s, nothing is ready. It’s total pandemonium, Sam blasting through his latest woodworking project the in the garage while Emily puts the finishing touches on the cake. Jared lounges at the kitchen table, trying not to drool after the cake.

It’s a fucking masterpiece.

Three alluring tiers of rich chocolate iced over in chocolate cream cheese frosting, decked out with every sprinkle imaginable. Still, Emily looks at it with a frown.

“I don’t know…” she mumbles to herself for the third time since Jared came over. “Is it missing something?”

Sam picks that moment to waltz in, covered in sweat and sawdust. He grins at the cake, leaning over to press a kiss to Emily’s cheek.

“Damn, that looks good,” he says. “Kim’s going to love it.”

“She better,” Emily says, but it sounds more like she’s threatening herself. “She just told to me surprise her. Said I knew best.”

“Well, honey, you do,” Sam points out. Emily preens at that, her chin jutting up a little higher. Jared smiles, a little melancholy. It doesn’t matter what fight Sam and Emily are in the middle of, they always figure it out.

“Okay,” Emily declares dramatically. “Let’s load it up.”

Jared and Sam, under Emily’s careful instruction, of course, haul the cake into the car, where it sits in between Jared and Emily. Sam hops into the back, pleased not to have to worry about it anymore. Emily keeps a careful grip on the platter, chiding Jared anytime the speedometer’s needle dips above twenty-five.

By the time they make it Paul’s they’re actually running a little late. Emily worries about the frosting, gnawing at her bottom lip.

Finally, they arrive at Kim’s. Her mom lets them in, ushering them inside.

“Emily, this is gorgeous!” she gushes, wrapping Emily in a tight squeeze. She doesn’t always get the best reception around the res. It’s gotten better recently, but after the whole Sam/Emily/Leah debacle, she was the subject of book clubs and knitting circles for months. “Listen, the radio station’s doing this retirement thing for one of the producers, I definitely want to talk to you about that.”

Emily flushes brilliantly and for a bit, the three of them brag on her, rattling off her greatest culinary creations.

“Jared, honey, you might as well go on up,” her mom says. “Go hurry her along.” Jared flounders for a moment but decides to just do it. He’s been raised better than to argue back. Awkwardly, and keenly aware of Sam and Paul’s twin gazes, he makes his way up the narrow stairs.

He can hear Kim humming, some old Fleetwood Mac number she loves, and it eases the worry. God, he missed her. He promises himself to never avoid her as long as he lives. Unable to help it, he zeroes in on her heartbeat, strong and steady. The same Kim as always. Swallowing hard, he knocks on the door.

“Oh!” she exclaims, opening the door to find him. A smile spreads across her face at the sight of him. “Hey, you came!”

“Uh, yeah,” he mumbles, nerves coming roaring back. “Em needed help with the cake and—” He’s effectively cut off when Kim throws her arms around him, squeezing tight. Jared’s throat works and he wraps his arms around her, ducking close to breathe her in.

“Hey,” she whispers, looking up at him with a warm smile. God, her _eyes_. Like pools of golden honey bathed in sunlight.

“Hey,” he echoes. Gently, Kim detaches herself and Jared tries not to miss her warmth.

“Did my mom send you to hurry me?” she asks, still smiling. He hadn’t expected this ease, but he’d been stupid not to. They’ll take about the serious stuff after. Right now, they just missed each other.

“Can’t start the party without the birthday girl,” he says. At that, Kim rolls her eyes.

“It’s lunch and cake,” she points out. “Not exactly a rager.”

“Yeah?” he says, raising an eyebrow. “Wait till you see the cake.” Kim’s laugh is a godsend, and she takes his hand, entwining their fingers together.

More people have shown up, mostly Kim’s family, as well as Laura’s. Her mom is a total helicopter parent, trying to dictate what Laura can and cannot have. Kim shakes her head, headed over to rescue her.

“Worked it out?” Same asks quietly from behind him. He’s got a couple coolers balanced in his arms. Kim’s mom had offered to pay him to grill, but he’d shut that down. He hadn’t been able to explain it, but as a general rule, Sam doesn’t take money from family, and now that Kim’s part of the pack, she counts.

“Not yet,” Jared admits, watching Paul mingle around, endearing himself to a trio of old ladies set up on the porch. Kim’s grandmother and great-aunts, he remembers. “We will though.”

“I know,” Sam says easily. “Come on, help me with the grill.” Together, they get a solid fire going, and in practically no time, the mouth-watering smell of burgers and hotdogs fills the air. His family finally make it, coming out to the yard to join the party.

Kim’s making the rounds, thanking everyone for coming and saying hi. More than once she’s looked his way, smiling and flushing slightly every time their eyes meet.

The party’s in full swing by the time Kim makes her way back to Jared, taking his hand and leaning against his side.

“Having fun?” she asks.

“Watching Paul flirt with old ladies is a blast,” he says, gesturing over to where a couple of Kim’s aunties have him in their grasp.

“He’s such a ham,” she laughs.

“What about you, are you having fun?” he asks, leaning a little closer. She grins at him, smile as clear as sunlight.

“All the people I love are here,” she says, looking him right in the eyes. It’s forgiveness, he realizes, and understanding. “What else do I need?”

“Do you want to take a drive with me after?” he asks, voice a little quieter. “We could talk about some stuff.”

“That sounds good,” she says, giving his hand a squeeze. Jared’s entire body relaxes at that, like all the tension has just run out of him. He leans down to press a kiss to her cheek, heading over to grab her a burger.

They eat with Paul and Laura, just talking and laughing like they should’ve been doing all summer. His mom and Kim’s are hanging out too, along with Carey. The three of them get along like a house on fire.

After everyone’s eaten, but before the cake, Kim does presents. She blushes the whole time, suddenly bashful at the onslaught of undivided attention. Jared got her a necklace with their initials carves from wood on a simple silver chain. She grins, slipping it over her head. It settle right over her heart.

Finally, her mom and Emily bring out the cake, and Jared can’t help but laugh at the way Kim’s mouth drops open, the way her eyes light up. She wraps Emily in a tight hug, gushing over the cake.

It’s just as good as it looks.

The party dies down a little after, and the mom’s head back into the kitchen, packing everything away in Tupperware for people take home. Adult goodie bags. Jared snickers at the concept.

Kim stands by the door, thanking people for coming like the perfect hostess. Paul, Sam, and Emily catch other rides home, and Jared waves them out, resolutely ignoring Pual making stupid kissy faces at him.

Finally, it’s just Kim and Jared, as her mom and brother are out in the yard, cleaning up. They’d offered to help, but her mom had waved them off.

“So, ready for that drive?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, time for some healthy communication to solve our problems! Let me know what you thought!


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim knows that things aren’t perfect. They have a lot to work through, both of their insecurities, their fears for the future, but she can’t help the swell of happiness she feels sitting in the passenger seat of Jared’s car. He had his CD player on, turned low, but Kim can make out that it’s the mixtape his dad gave his mom. She hopes it bodes well for them too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang, welcome to healthy communication time! Hope you enjoy!

Kim knows that things aren’t perfect. They have a lot to work through, both of their insecurities, their fears for the future, but she can’t help the swell of happiness she feels sitting in the passenger seat of Jared’s car. He had his CD player on, turned low, but Kim can make out that it’s the mixtape his dad gave his mom. She hopes it bodes well for them too.

They drive until they find a secluded spot on the beach. Jared pulls out a blanket from the bed of the truck and spreads it out on the cool sand. It’s overcast, but it doesn’t look like rain.

“I’m sorry I freaked out about the whole SAT prep thing,” Jared says abruptly. Kim blinks at him in surprise. She’d expected some small talk before they dove in.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she says, meaning it. It was stupid to hide that from him. It’s stupid to hide anything from him. She knows, by now, that she can trust Jared with anything.

“Will you just tell me why?” he asks, worrying his bottom lip. Kim sighs, watching the waves while she parses out her answer.

“I guess…” she starts. “I was scared. I know that you have to be around to protect the res for as long as the vampires are around, and I didn’t want you to think I was leaving you behind.”

“Kim, you don’t worry about me, okay? It’s your life and I want you to choose whatever makes you happy,” he says, taking one of her hands. Kim relishes the feel of his fingers against her skin, so warm and safe.

“I know that,” she says simply. “But I want you to be happy too. I want you to be able to decide what to do with your life, whether that’s staying on the res, or going off to college, or whatever. It’s unfair that I get that choice, but you don’t. That’s why I was scared of telling you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Jared’s silent at that, but he doesn’t let go of her hand. Kim watches his face anxiously, but it’s inscrutable.

“Jare?” she tries softly.

“I never really thought about that,” he confesses, just as quiet. “I didn’t think about college and everything, about not being able to leave the res.” Kim squeezes his hand a sudden lump rising in her throat.

“I just want you to be happy,” she says, scooting closer to him. Jared loops his arm around her shoulder, tugging her even closer.

“I just want _you_ to be happy,” he echoes. “Promise me something—”

“Anything,” Kim says eagerly. A smile breaks over his face and her anxiety recedes. He leans down to press a quick kiss to her nose.

“You don’t even know what it is,” he teases.

“Okay, then ask me,” she laughs.

“Whatever you decide, to leave for college, or stay, or whatever, that it doesn’t have anything to do with me.” Kim frowns at that. How could she make any decision without factoring him in? Still, she nods. “I want you be happy, and maybe this is selfish, but will you promise me you won’t forget me?”

At that, the lump makes its reappearance, and Kim leans up, capturing Jared’s lips in a real kiss. They stay like that, just kissing, until Kim trusts herself to speak without her voice breaking.

“Jared, nothing on earth could possibly make me forget you,” she tells him. “I love you so much, I don’t even have the words to tell you how much.” At that, Jared kisses her again, murmuring how much he loves her in between breaths.

“So, we’re good?” Kim asks a while later. The sun is starting to set, just peeking through the clouds, but it’s enough to paint Jared golden. He looks heavenly, skin gleaming, eyes twinkling, and lips red and kiss-swollen.

“Yeah,” he says, laughing slightly. “We’re so good.”

“So we can hang out again?” she asks, mostly teasing. “No more avoiding each other when all we need to do is talk?”

“No more avoiding each other,” he promises her. “I don’t think I could, anyways.”

“Good!” she declares, pulling herself to her feet and sticking her hand out to help Jared. “Because it’s still my birthday and I want a milkshake.”

“Done,” he says, grabbing the blanket and fishing out his keys. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

*

Kim spends the rest of the summer—all ten days of it—in absolute bliss. Jared hangs out with her almost every day. She gets a great score on her practice SAT. She takes her actual SAT and feels great about it.

The day before school starts, she and Laura go all the way to Port Angeles to shop for school supplies. It’s a tradition they’ve always had, and its way more fun now that they have their own ride.

Kim browses through cute stationary, marveling over the sheer volume of gel pens. She’s got fifty dollars saved up, and most of her folders and binders from last year still viable. All she needs are a couple of notebooks and some tab dividers, and she can blow the rest of it on cute stuff.

“Kim,” Laura whines, bored out her mind at the stationary store. “How long does it take to pick out notebooks?”

“Look at these highlighters!” Kim coos, ignoring her. “They’re pastel!”

“If you don’t hurry up, I’m not going into the comic store with you!” At that, Kim quickly gathers the notebooks, pens, and highlighters she was eyeing, hurrying them to the counter. Laura smirks at her as they walk over to the comic store. She knows Kim hates going in there alone.

Because Kim made Laura suffer through two “boring store”, Kim lets her drag her into a boutique, where the browse through clothes they definitely can’t afford.

“Oh, Kim look at this!” Laura gasps, dragging her over to look at the lingerie display. Kim can feel her face heat up. She still wears the same bra’s her mom bought her freshman year.

“Are you going to buy anything?” Kim challenges. At that Laura sticks her tongue out, still flicking through racks of lace and satin.

“Maybe,” Laura says haughtily. “It’s senior year. I want a boyfriend this year.”

“What about Paul?” Kim offers. It would be so cool if they could double date, even thought Kim knows it won’t work out in the long run. Eventually Paul’s going to imprint, a prospect he’s not too happy about.

“Nah, he’s just a friend,” she says. “Besides, he’s kind of intense.”

“True,” Kim says.

“What about you? Are you getting anything? A little treat for Jared?” Kim knows she’s blushing so hard her entre head in red.

“No!” she says, grabbing Laura and hurrying her away. “You know we haven’t… I mean—”

“Relax,” Laura laughs. “I know. You think you could lose your virginity and me not know about it? No way.”

“Right…” she says, still uneasy.

“But are you going to?” Laura presses her, going back to look at skirts. Kim sighs, unsure. She loves Jared, and she knows she want to spend the rest of her life with him, but sex is scary to think about. Besides, Jared never pushes her. Even when they make out for a while, he doesn’t push.

“Who knows,” she says. “I mean, we just talked about college and all that, and I don’t want to have another huge conversation so soon. I just want to be with him, without worrying.”

“I get it,” Laura says kindly, linking their elbows as they head out. “But we’re still seniors. We’re officially grown.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I don’t have a ton of experience with high school relationships, so I’m just going off my friends’ experiences. Sex, especially in serious relationships like Jared and Kim’s, was a major talking point. There won’t be anything explicit in this fic, but our favorite couple is definitely going to talk about it! Let me know what you thought!


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Jared knows it, he’s driving both he and Paul to school for their first day of senior year. He’d wonder where the time went, but he’s not a cheesy hallmark mom. Still, went by pretty damn fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang! I was reading back and realized I really haven’t spent a ton of time fleshing out Jared’s family, so we’re going to get into a little of the family side! Also, a note on the timeline of this fic: I’m going to keep writing through their senior year and end it after graduation. Of course, I’ll be writing little one-shots as updates, random moments through the canon, but this will pretty much stop just a bit after canon begins.

Before Jared knows it, he’s driving both he and Paul to school for their first day of senior year. He’d wonder where the time went, but he’s not a cheesy hallmark mom. Still, went by pretty damn fast.

“Fucking finally,” Paul sighs as he hops down. “One more year and we’re done.”

“It’s not like we can go anywhere,” Jared reminds him. “We’re still here next year.”

“Not at school, we’re not,” Paul reminds him. “Anyways, tell me why we can’t chase those bloodsuckers out of here?”

“Because of the treaty,” Jared recites. “The treaty forbids us from—”

“Unsolicited acts of war, yeah I get it,” Paul interrupts. “Thanks, _Sam_.”

“Come on,” Jared says, swatting at him. “I don’t want to get detention on the first day.” With that, they head inside. They’ve got homeroom first, same as every year, the first Monday of the month. They’re even in the same class.

Walking in, the first thing Jared sees are his old friends. His jaw locks up a little and Paul scowls. It’s not like they don’t know the stupid rumors that swirl around about him and the pack, but it’s still really sucks. Jeff Rivers, the starting QB now that Jared’s gone, smirks over in their direction.

“Hey,” he says. “Have an easy summer? What did you guys do?” Paul snarls softly—thankfully quiet enough that Jeff can’t hear—but Jared shakes his head. This is the first summer he’s missed football camp for as long as he can remember. He always used to go, even during peewee’s.

“Volunteering,” he answers succinctly, dropping into one of the seats in the back. Jeff and a group of his guys snicker. God, was Jared ever one of them? He’d hate to think so. After a sharp look, Paul sits down too, fists clenched.

A couple of guys, people that Jared actually likes, look over with sympathetic expressions, but Jared looks down. He gets why they can’t play, but it still sucks. He forces himself to breathe; this will all be better when he can see Kim.

Homeroom is quick, attendance, and whatever announcements there are. Plus, they pass out senior tee-shirts. Jared stuffs his away in his backpack without looking at it. No doubt, it’s some cheesy slogan with a lame pun about 2005.

His schedule is pretty great, mostly coaster classes, plus trig, but only because Kim’s taking it too. They only have a few classes together, AP Language and Literature, Trig, and Personal Finance. That last one was a Mom and Carey pick, but Jared doesn’t mind.

He only has one class with Paul, though, just Earth Science, which means Paul’s on his own most of the day. Jared forces the thought out of his mind. No point in worrying about something that might not even happen.

Their first class of the day is Lang, and when their teacher, the notorious Mrs. Vance, explains their course work, Jared realizes he might actually have a real shot at acing this class, if it’s non-fiction and essays. They don’t even have a real reading list, just a bunch of short stories and personal essays.

He gets to sit next to Kim all class, being Cameron and Conweller, and they hold hands under the desk. Jared can barely focus with Kim’s thumb dragging gently across the back of his hand. He walks her to her next class before heading to his.

All in all, it’s an easy day, just cheesy ice breaks and talking about the first unit. He doesn’t even have any homework. He, Kim, Paul, and Laura convene in the parking lot, just talking. Apparently, Kim and Laura were not so lucky on the homework front. Jared snickers.

“What about you?” Kim asks teasingly, poking her fingers into his side. “No homework?”

“Nope,” he says, grinning. “I’m free all day. I could come over and help you with yours?” Kim laughs and Jared considers how weird of a sentence that was. One, him, help Kim? No way. He’d end up distracting her. Two, he shouldn’t be free, it’s football season. Jared hasn’t had a free afternoon in September since elementary school.

“Sure,” Kim agrees. Her smiles fades a little, and she slips her hand into his, squeezing tight. Jared’s glad for the contact.

“This sucks,” Laura complains. “My mom made me get a job, so now I’m stuck tutoring a bunch of middle schoolers.”

“Lame,” Paul says, shaking his head. “I have to get up to Makah res, my grandma’s been wanting me to get her yard done.”

“Cute!” Laura coos. “You’re so sweet!” At that Paul flushes bright red, but since there’s no threat of his turning, Jared plays along.

“Aw, he’s just a mama’s boy,” he teases, easily ducking when Paul takes a playful swing.

Paul, muttering darkly about them and, still blushing, demands to be dropped off, so Jared obliges, leaning in to kiss Kim goodbye. After he’s done dropping him off, he swings back home, leaving a note for his mom and grabbing a snack. Parker’s already home, sat at the kitchen table with a bowl of untouched cheese-it’s in front of him. Jared snags a few and ruffles his hair.

“How was school?” he asks. Parker shrugs, setting down his comic. That’s when Jared notices the giant bruise around his eye. Anger courses through him fast, a little uncontrolled, but Jared forces himself to focus. “What happened? Who did this to you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Parker mutters, getting up to leave, but Jared’s too quick, boxing him in the kitchen.

“Nope,” he says firmly. “You either tell me, or I call Carey right now.”

“Don’t!” Parker says. “Mom will freak out and blow the whole thing out of proportion.”

“Well?”

“Seriously, Jared, it was nothing,” Parker says. Jared focuses on his heartbeat, listening for the telltale uptick. Sure enough, it accelerates. “Just some guys messing around. I’m sure you did this kind of shit all the time.”

“Watch your language,” he says distractedly. Did he used to do this? Was he one of those assholes who used to take their shit out on kids who couldn’t fight back? God, he hopes not. “Seriously, Parker, what happened?”

He grabs an ice pack from the freezer, wrapping it in a paper towel and passing it over. Parker sighs, pressing the ice pack to his bruised eye with a frown.

“Some guys were talking about you,” he starts. “About how you weren’t on the team this year, and they were saying some mean stuff, so I told them to mind their own business. They didn’t like that very much.” Jared’s heart sinks. He pats Parker’s shoulder gently.

“Names?” he asks. He’ll deal with it. He’s not letting Parker of all people fight on his behalf.

“No one,” Parker mutters, shaking his head when Jared insists. “Dude, you’re turning eighteen in a couple weeks. You can’t go around beating up thirteen-year-olds.”

“If they have older brothers—”

“Leave it, Jared, I mean it,” Parker snaps. “Don’t make this worse.”

“Fuck the assholes,” Jared tells him, feeling a little helpless. Parker snorts at that, a wry smile cropping up on his face.

“Wise words,” he snorts. “what do I do about the bruise? I don’t want Mom or Grandma to see.”

“I don’t know, kid,” he says. “Ice the hell out of it, I guess?” Wait, Kim. “Listen, you want to come hang out with Kim and me?”

“I don’t want to crash your date,” Parker says, blushing lightly.

“Nah, it’s cool,” Jared insists. “It’s either that or you stick around here and wait for your mom to get home.”

“Is… Eric going to be home?” Parker asks hesitantly.

“What? _Eric_ did this to you?” That little asshole! Jared can’t believe—

“No, no! He, uh, jumped in, I guess,” Parker explains. “He saw what happened and pulled Ryan—uh, I mean, some kid—off me and they got into it. Eric got in trouble, but I didn’t.” At that, Jared relaxes. Of course, he’s a good kid, he’s Kim’s little brother. “I don’t want him to be mad at me.”

“He knew what he was doing,” Jared assures him. “Come on, kid, Kim can put some concealer or something on your eye.”

“Will that work?”

“Probably,” Jared figures. “At least tonight.” Parker frowns, considering it, but he nods. Jared grins at him, gently patting his back. He pulls out his phone dialing up Kim’s number.

“Hello?” she answers.

“Hey, listen, do you think I could bring Parker over?”

“Is he okay? Eric told me what happened! As soon as I got home, his school called me, and I had to go get him.”

“Pretty nasty bruise,” Jared says. “But he’s tough, he’ll be okay. Do you think you could put some make up on it, or something? He doesn’t want my sister freaking out.”

“Sure, bring him by,” Kim says easily. Jared grins. She’s the best person he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know the ending to this chapter is… not up to par, so please forgive that. Anyways, let me know what you guys think!


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parker sits sullen and awkward at the table while Kim carefully dabs concealer around his eye. Poor kid. The pack’s reputation around the res makes it hard for them, and the kids who aren’t afraid of them, hassle them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang, hope you enjoy this latest installment!

Parker sits sullen and awkward at the table while Kim carefully dabs concealer around his eye. Poor kid. The pack’s reputation around the res makes it hard for them, and the kids who aren’t afraid of them, hassle them.

Eric sits across from the table, watching. He definitely came out worse, covered in scratches and bruises, but thankfully none are on his face.

“So,” Kim starts, just to break the awkward tension. “Why don’t we take you guys out? For dinner or something.”

“McDonald’s!” Eric crows instantly cheered. Kim rolls her eyes. That kid can and will eat his weight in big macs and French fries.

“Is that okay with you, Parker?” she asks pointedly.

“Sure, if you guys don’t mind,” he says, blushing.

“Of course not,” Jared says, wrapping his arms around Kim. “I love McDonald’s. Let me just uh… make sure I don’t have work tonight.” Kim nods, gesturing for him to go upstairs to talk to Sam. She figures they’ll understand. Everything’s pretty much settled now.

Dinner’s pretty great. As predicted, Eric inhales enough to feed a family, superseded only by Jared, who eats enough to feed a village. Parker and she are good with their one burger a piece and fries to share.

Kim pulls him aside to touch up the concealer, so it doesn’t oxidize.

“Thanks for doing this,” he says gratefully.

“No problem,” she says. “Just no more fights, okay? I know I can’t really tell you what to do, but I promise Jared can handle himself.”

“He’s family,” Parker says simply. “I couldn’t help it.” Kim blinks at that, surprised. Parker, suddenly awkward, squirms out of her grasp and back to the table, where Jared and Eric are fighting to shove the last of the fries in their mouths.

Jared drops Parker off first, then Kim and Eric. She sends Eric on ahead, with the takeout bag for their mom.

“Thanks,” Jared says, but Kim all but lunges across the divide to kiss him. He catches her effortlessly and deepens, a soft moan slipping from his mouth. Kim cards her fingers through the soft strands of his short hair, clutching his tee-shirt desperately.

Jared lifts her gently and deposits her in his lap. There’s not too much space, so she presses tight against him, relishing the warmth of his solid frame.

“Kim,” he gasps between kisses. It only spurs her on. “Kim, hang on, your mom’s just inside.”

Effectively cooled, she pulls away with a blush. She doesn’t really know what came over her, but the way he was hanging out with Eric, and the way Parker loyalty ran bone deep had just… done something to her.

“Sorry,” she says, entirely breathless.

“God, don’t apologize for that,” he says, panting hard. Kim slides back into her seat, gathering her mussed hair into a neat ponytail.

“I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow?” she asks. Her voice comes out a little lower than normal, breathy and raspy. She clears her throat.

“Yeah,” Jared says eagerly. “Tomorrow. Do you, uh, do you want to come over to do homework or something?”

“Yeah,” she says eagerly, then backtracks. “Yeah, I mean, we have to keep with homework.”

“Sure,” Jared agrees. There’s this hungry, predatory gleam in his eyes that half makes her want to run and hide, and half urges her to leap herself, take him down and pin him.

“I should go,” she says, forcing herself to open the door.

“Bye,” he says. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” she says. The smile that takes over her face is so wide her cheeks hurt a little, but she stands there, smiling and waving until Jared disappears down the street. Once it’s just her, she takes a deep breath and makes her way back inside.

Her mom’s back inside, already almost finished with her meal.

“What took you so long,” she asks with a knowing smile.

“Jared had a homework question,” she lies, trying to keep her voice even. “Can I get you a glass of wine, mom?”

“Wine and a dinner I don’t have to cook or pay for? What is this, what did you two do?” her mom asks, quirking a suspicious eyebrow. Kim laughs, pouring a good amount of her mom’s favorite white wine. It’s her work-kicked-my-ass drink and she relishes the stuff.

“Seriously, who’s in trouble?”

“No one, mom,” Eric says, far too aggressive. She turns her inquisitive gaze on him, but he smiles cherubic and innocent.

“So, what, this is just cause?”

“It’s to celebrate the first day of school,” Kim interjects in a (hopefully) believable tone. “Seriously, that’s all. I’m a senior and Eric’s in eighth grade. Those are pretty important years.” Their mom sighs, takes a sip of her wine, then smiles.

“Okay,” she says. “Go on, guys, go finish up your homework.”

“Thanks, mom,” Kim says, stooping to plant a kiss on her cheek. She and Eric head upstairs.

“Thanks for covering for me,” Eric says softly. “If she knew she would’ve taken me straight off the football team. You know she doesn’t like me playing.”

“You get one free pass,” Kim says. “After that, I go straight to mom.”

“Okay, fine,” he grumbles. “Good night, lovebird.”

“Shut up,” Kim hisses, embarrassed. She hurries back to her own room, slamming the door. There’s actually a little bit of homework to get done, so she pulls it out while she dials up Laura.

“Hey,” Laura answers in a whisper.

“Hey,” Kim says. “Bad time?”

“Nah, just give me a minute, my mom’s outside in the hall,” Laura says. Kim laughs, getting started mon her homework while she waits. It’s pretty easy stuff, a basic trig assignment, and a response for her English class.

“Okay, we’re free,” Laura declares. “So, what did you guys do today.”

“Oh my god, it was crazy,” Kim says, filling her in about Eric and Parker’s fight, and the subsequent McDonald’s trip. She does not tell her about the frenzied make out in the car. “What about you? How was your tutoring gig?”

“Ugh, lame,” Laura complains. “It was this kid who basically just sat there and made me do all his math homework.”

“Uh, aren’t you supposed to teach the kid?” Kim teases.

“Hey, if it keeps them coming back, I’ll do it,” Laura says. “I need the money and it definitely pays well.”

“I hear that,” Kim says, looking over at the stack of college brochures on her desk. It’s expensive even to apply. God, she needs a job.

They chat a little while longer, until Laura has to relinquish her phone for the night. Kim wishes her goodnight and hangs up. She finishes up her homework, packing it back in her bag and hauling herself up to get ready for bed. She lays out her clothes for the next day, washes her face, and changes into her pajamas.

Before she falls asleep, she can’t help but glance over at the college brochures. Her dreams are strange that night, swirling thoughts of Jared and college.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed, let me know what you thought!


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next couple weeks of school are much easier. The football team eventually gives up hassling Jared and Paul, finally just letting them be. Jared has an actual routine for schoolwork and is getting all his assignments in on time. His test scores even go up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update gang! A little bit of a shorter chapter, but I’m just using it to bridge the next couple of plot points. Hope you enjoy!

The next couple weeks of school are much easier. The football team eventually gives up hassling Jared and Paul, finally just letting them be. Jared has an actual routine for schoolwork and is getting all his assignments in on time. His test scores even go up.

It’s pretty much all because of Kim, who comes over to study and hang out pretty much every other day. It’s her way of making up for her newly lost weekends. She got a waitressing gig at the diner, and she works pretty much the whole weekend.

Two weeks before homecoming, Laura corners Jared at school, outside their shared drawing class.

“So?” she demands, hands on her hips. Jared looks around the hallway, desperate for either an escape or a clue.

“So what?” he finally asks. This class is after lunch, so they usually have a couple extra minutes before class actually starts.

“Homecoming, Jared,” Laura says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“What about it?” The game is always easy, usually against Forks or something, and they usually win.

“When are you going to ask Kim?”

“Why would I?” he asks, genuinely confused. They’re already dating, so wouldn’t it just make sense that he goes with Kim? Who else would he ask?

“Jared, just because you guys are dating doesn’t mean you’re off the hook,” Laura says. “I’m telling you as a friend. Boyfriend still does the asking.”

“Okay… so should I just ask her after school then?” He can hear students making their way in from lunch, and even Mrs. Branwell, their teacher.

“Romance is key, Jared,” Laura points out. “Look, this dance is still happening before your first anniversary, so you’re still in the honeymoon stage. You need romance and grand gestures.”

“So, I don’t have to ask Kim to prom?”

“Of course, you do!” Luckily, or maybe unluckily, Mrs. Branwell finally comes by to unlock the door.

“Hurry in!” she says, waving them inside. “We’re going to be working in pairs today, for a portrait project.” Laura grins at Jared and he smiles back, glad for the built in project partner. Mrs. Branwell assigns projects a lot, often citing her favorite catchphrase—

“And remember, class, art is a collaborative effort!”

They sit across from each other and Jared pulls out his charcoals, sketching out a rough frame.

“So, explain to me why I have to ask Kim to dances, even though we’re together?” he asks, drawing rough guidelines for her features.

“It’s simple,” she says. “Dances are like, the one chance you have to be declarative about your emotions. It’s special!”

“Okay, so I have to ask her to homecoming,” Jared surmises with a wry smiles. He begins to fill in her features, focusing on her expressive eyes. “Romantically.”

“Exactly,” Laura says. Then, she smirks at him, her eyes wicked. “If you play your cards right, it might even help move things along, you know… in the bedroom department.” Embarrassed, he accidentally snaps his charcoal in two.

“Exactly,” Laura says, giving him a knowing smile. It’s not like Jared’s never thought of it, the, uh, bedroom department, but it’s not like he can just bring it up. The other day’s kiss still has him reeling a little bit.

“What about you?” Jared asks, a little desperate to change the topic. “Who are you going with?” Laura shrugs at that.

“No one’s asked me yet,” she says simply. “Worst comes to worse, I’ll just third wheel with you guys.”

“You should just go with Paul,” he suggests. It makes a lot of sense, anyways.

“I guess I will, if he asks me,” Laura agrees. “Speaking of, there’s only a small window of opportunity to ask now. Get a move on with Kim.”

“So, when am I supposed to ask her?” Jared asks, keeping his eyes down as he fishes out a new charcoal.

“Probably in the next few days,” Laura says. “Kim and I are supposed to go dress shopping this weekend.”

“So do I do it before or after?” Jared asks, focusing on putting the last few touches on Laura’s face. He managed to capture the almost filthy smirk she was sporting. Proud, he turns the canvas over for her to see.

“Damn, you’re good, Jare-bear,” she says. Jared sneaks a peek at her canvas, where, to his mortification, she’s drawing his shocked and embarrassed face. Mrs. Branwell comes around the classroom, surveying everyone’s work.

“This is excellent work, Mr. Cameron,” she says. “You really captured a lot of personality in the portrait.”

“Trust me, Mrs. B, the real thing has personality has enough personality to spare,” Jared teases.

He thinks about Laura’s advice pretty much the rest of the day, especially in his shared classes with Kim. Homecoming fever had caught pretty much every girl except her. Maybe she just didn’t care about things like that.

At the end of the day, Kim and Laura split off so they can go down to Forks Public Library. Both girls finally got their SAT scores back, and while Kim had exceeded her goal, Laura was just a few points short of hers. Kim had promised to help her study for a retake.

Jared drives Paul over to Sam’s, where he’s insisting they start up daily patrols again. One of the leeches got a little too close to the border last weekend and Sam’s been bugging about it. 

“You should ask Laura to Homecoming,” Jared suggests as they pull out of the school parking lot. “Then all four of us can be a group.”

“Fuck me, I forgot about homecoming,” Paul groans, slumping back in his seat. “Why Laura?”

“Cause we hang out with her and I’m already going with Kim,” Jared says, poking him hard. Paul scowls, swatting his hand away.

“You think say yes without being all clingy and shit?” Paul asks, running a hand through his hand. “She’s cool and all, but I’m not after a girlfriend. I’m not letting what happened to Sam happen to me.”

“Shit, Paul,” Jared says, disapproving. “Don’t fucking talk about that.”

“I’m just saying,” Paul grumbles. “Lucky Leah’s away at school.”

“Never mind,” Jared says. “Just ask Laura, will you?”

“Yeah, yeah, I will,” Paul says. “Come on, ready to go leech hunting?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> Going to get as much as this posted as possible to catch up, so I'll let you guys know the posting schedule once I'm completely caught up


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